Two Faces, One Mask
by Ken's luver
Summary: Ken's about to come face to face with the person he hates most: himself as the Emperor. Daemon is back and looking for revenge and Mae is powerless to help Ken. Sequel to 'Weight of the Worlds' (complete)
1. Default Chapter

"Two Faces, One Mask"

'Wandering minds.' 

"Lord make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

And where there is sadness, joy.

Oh divine Master grant that I may

Not so much seek to be consoled as to console,

To be understood as to understand,

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive-

And it's in pardoning that we are pardoned.

And it's in dying that we are born to eternal life,

Amen."

'Prayer of Saint Francis' Sarah McLachlan

A large figure made his way further through the mountainous regions of the Digital world, and as he made his way through the white landscape, he startled every Digimon nearby with his large wings and crimson robe. Daemon was on a journey, a journey he had been on for almost two years now. And nothing distracted him from his path. He would make it to his destination even if he had to die trying. For every step he took, vengeance drove him, hate fueled him and insanity blinded him.

He grumbled under his breath, "I will destroy you Ken Ichijouji, mark my words, I will have my revenge on you for locking me away in the Dark Ocean."

He stopped by the open mouth of a cave. The cave looked cold and evil, the way the snow dusted the roof of it and left the remaining gray rock damp and dark. A frigid draft tumbled from the mouth and chilled Daemon's already cold ankles. He grumbled again and began speaking in a dark tongue, "Tuo madess, ratiz et laianar. I beseech access to the Dark Ones."

A hollow, deep echo breathed a rattling breath from the cave itself, and spoke, "_Enter_."

Daemon crouched in order to enter the cave and as he stepped into the shadows, he vanished from sight, not because the shadows swallowed him, but because he simply vanished from the realm of the Digital world.

* * *

"And as you can see from the diagram…"

Kari leaned over to her friend Yolei and whispered quietly, "Do you have any idea what he is talking about?"

Yolei smiled to herself and looked around the large room, filled with chairs and a mixed variety of 'interested' and 'bored-out-of-their-skulls' students. The lecture room had many distractions for every student, but only one for Yolei and that would be the person giving the lecture on computer software and programming at the front of the class. She turned to Kari and giggled quietly, "Yeah, I get special after school classes."

Kari stifled a giggle and replied, "Well, if you actually have notes, could you pass them in my direction? Ken's lectures aren't exactly stimulating."

"Why did you take this class then Kari?"

The twenty-year-old shrugged, "To be with you I guess. And I figured it's the future so I better know something about computers. I'm just so glad I didn't sign up for his Psychology class as well. "

Yolei rolled her eyes and grinned. She was about to turn her attention back to Ken, when she remembered to ask Kari a question; "We are still all meeting at the park aren't we?"

Kari sighed heavily and couldn't help but look horrified at the idea of it, "Yes. I don't know if I want to play soccer today Yolei, last time I was full of bruises and I was so stiff the next day."

The corner of Yolei's mouth lifted as she tried to repress a grin at her friend, "Aww, come on Kari, it will be fun!"

"Yeah, fun for you maybe, you have the star soccer player on your side while I have two so-called-men who fight about me endlessly, on my side."

"Oh, you know Davis is just kidding about it now. Besides, he likes a girl in his class. He told me so. They're cooking partners."

"Really? Well, that's great for him. Why didn't he say anything?"

Yolei smiled to herself, "He's afraid he'll jinx it."

"I see." Kari shrugged, "Well, then maybe the soccer game will be better. We'll still lose though."

Yoleis' smile faltered, "I don't know Kari, Ken's been really distracted lately. All he can think about is that new program he's been working on. He's up all night working on it and I can't have a normal conversation with him because mid-way he comes up with an idea to add to it. Drives me crazy."

"Don't worry Yolei, he'll finish it and then you will have him all to yourself again."

"I guess, but I can't help but think he's focusing on one thing to avoid another."

Kari cocked her head to the side, "What do you mean?"

Yolei shook her head, "Nothing, never mind. We really should be paying attention."

Kari turned her gaze back to the front of the class in order to watch Ken's lecture, but she couldn't help but wander what Yolei had meant.

"So Kari, how's TK enjoying his advanced writing class?" Cody asked as he made himself comfortable under the large Elder tree in the park of Odiba. He loosened the tie of his school uniform and removed his blazer.

The barer of the Crest of Light smiled and replied, "He's really enjoying it. And he's getting really good. He writes me poems and short stories all the time and they are so beautiful. But you can ask him yourself. Here he comes."

Cody turned his head in the direction Kari was now looking and saw TK approaching them along with Davis and Ken.

"Hey guys." Cody smiled.

"Hey Cody." TK said as he waved hello and moved to his girlfriend to sit by her.

"How's school?" Davis asked joining them and placing the soccer ball in his lap.

"It's okay. You know, high school." He shrugged.

The group nodded at this statement and fell silent; thinking about when they were back in high school and the adventure which had interrupted it.

"Shall we get started?" Ken asked suddenly and they all nodded and got up, making their way towards their positions.

It was a beautiful day, they couldn't have asked for better. The sun pierced whatever small cloud which might have shaded it and the sky was a rich baby blue. The air smelled of freshly cut grass and the birds filled it with their songs and conversations.

"Hate to break it to you Ken "The Rocket" Ichijouji," Davis started, "but today is the day you are going down!"

Ken grinned and replied, "Is that so? Well we'll see about that."

Yolei and Kari looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

The game went on and all players seemed to be having the most fun they had had in years. It had been about two years since the whole saga of Ebonwumon and the Codes, and Ken had found a way to deal with all his feelings by talking to Yolei, most of the time. They had become extremely close over the years and for a while Ken hadn't had any thoughts of his darker days. But lately something was disturbing him. What, he wasn't sure, but it was a pull of some kind. A will and want to succeed on this project. For some reason he couldn't stand to fail on this program. He knew he wouldn't be able to deal with it. He hadn't told Yolei this, because he knew what she would say, and she would be right. It was his darker impulses, his desire to prove himself again, to his parents, to his friends, to the world really. He didn't know why he felt like this lately, but he did and he wasn't going to push it away. He was going to do this, because it made him feel good. He was tired of being average.

"KEN!" Cody yelled from somewhere behind him.

"Damn." He muttered under his breath. He had lost focus again and Davis had stolen the ball from him. He quickly rectified that problem and was about to make a goal of his own, when Davis went in for a sliding tackle. Yolei gasped, as the scene looked horribly familiar. Davis' foot connected and cut Ken's shin as it came across Ken's leg, tripping him.

TK cheered Davis on as Davis whooped. Then he extended his hand to his best friend, but Ken's mind was somewhere else entirely.

The memories flashed in his mind like still photographs. That day Davis tripped him on the soccer field, then him as the Emperor in the Digital world, making Davis cower and beg for his friends, then Ebonwumon doing the same thing to him. He shook his head and looked up at the Goggle wearing youth with his hand stretched out. He looked away and got up without Davis' help.

He made his way to his bag to get a sweat towel and wipe his face.

Davis made his way over to him, "Sorry Ken. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Ken snapped. Then he took a deep sigh, "I'm fine really. It just déjà vu, you know?"

"I'm sorry buddy. Did it remind you of…"

Yolei frowned at Davis as she looked at the bleeding gash on Ken's shin. "Davis! You should be more careful! Jeez, it's just a friendly game."

"It's alright Yolei, I'm fine." Ken assured her.

"Are you sure? You seemed kinda out of it just now."

"Yeah…" Ken's gaze went blank and he started to stare off to the horizon, before snapping it back to his friends and saying, "I have to go quickly! I just thought of something for the program." He picked up his stuff and started running off but there was something in the way he said this that made Yolei think he wasn't being completely honest.

"Ken!" Yolei yelled, "Wait! Will I see you at home?"

"Yeah see you!" he yelled behind him.

The lavender haired girl sighed and sat down.

"What was that all about?" Cody asked.

"I would love to know Cody." Yolei breathed, "I better get back home, Ken will not remember to feed Poromon or Wormmon in the state he is in."

* * *

Mae turned on her side and looked at the clock on her bedside table. The red digits glowed 2AM in the dark surrounding room. She sighed and turned onto her other side to look at the person sharing her bed. She stroked the caramel hair and ran her soft palm down his neck and along his muscular arm. He shifted and turned to face her. "Something wrong love?"

She smiled weakly, "I did not mean to wake you Gennai, sorry."

"Don't be." He smiled warmly, "Something is bothering you I can tell."

She huffed and pushed herself off the bed. She slipped on her electric blue silk nightgown and looked out the window. On the street below she could see taxi cabs speeding by, to destinations unknown to her. She could hear people taking, laughing, crying, whatever people did at one in the morning in New York City. She opened the window of her Queens apartment and leaned on the sill. She could smell the air, which was not clean like the Digital World's, but something about it, she loved. She took a deep breath and exhaled softly before answering Gennai. "Something's wrong. I can feel it. Something is coming."

"You had a vision?"

"No, not yet anyway. But it's something. I am not sure what." She turned to him with a deep concern etched on her features, "I hope it's nothing."

"Me too." He motioned for her to come back to bed, "You need the sleep."

She smiled at him, knowing full well that she did not need sleep and slipped back into his arms. Though it took her much longer to drift off to sleep than it did for Gennai.

* * *

Ken sat in front of his computer and stared blankly at the screen. Wormmon watched him from his position on the bed, next to Poromon. He didn't say anything because of the way Ken had entered the room. He had burst through the door and dumped his bag on the ground before hastily sitting down on the chair by his desk. Then he had let out an angry cry and ran his hands through his chin-length indigo hair before throwing all the papers and stationary off his desk. And then he just sat there, staring.

The little worm made his way to Ken's feet and was about to open his mouth to question him, when Yolei entered and after closing the door behind her, gasped at the mess of papers on the floor and then her boyfriend sitting at his desk. She slowly moved over to him and looked closely at him.

"Ken-chan?" she asked hesitantly.

He wordlessly and expressionlessly turned his head to her.

"Ken, what is it? What's wrong?"

A small frown started to form on his brow and his eyes became watery, "The pressure Yolei, I can't take it anymore. It's too much, it's so close and so familiar."

Yolei narrowed her eyes trying to understand what he meant.

He looked directly into her eyes, "I don't want to fail Yolei, but I don't want to become him either."

She knelt down in front of him and took his hands in hers, "Ken, you don't have to become him in order to succeed, you can do that on your own! You have done for years now…and if it's too much for you…then maybe you should take a small break on it?"

He slowly nodded his head; "You're right Yolei."

She glanced at his shin and the soccer sock that was now blood stained, "I'll get a plaster for that and some antiseptic." She got up and moved to the bathroom.

"It's fine Yolei, really you don't need to…"

"Let her take care of you Ken-chan." Wormmon said while looking up at him.

He half smiled at the digimon before picking him up and hugging him, "Hey buddy."

Yolei stopped in the doorway of the room and rested her head on the frame to watch her lover and his digimon together. He turned to her and gave a smirk, "What is it?"

"Nothing," she said as she moved towards him and knelt down once again to dab the cotton wool soaked in antiseptic, on his cut. "I just enjoy watching you."

He gave her a warm smile but a sharp pain in his head tore it away and his hand flew to his temple to ease the pain.

"What is it?" Yolei and Wormmon chorused.

"It's nothing, I just have a headache. I think I need to lie down or something."

"I think that would be a good idea. You haven't been sleeping much since you started this program." Yolei commented.

* * *

Daemon stood in a dark, dank cave-like area, an area dimly lit with torches of fire on the walls, casting eerie shadows over his face as well as the three 'people' sitting in front of him. They sat arranged in much the same way a court is, with the older looking male with short black hair in the middle and on the highest seat. On his right was a slightly younger looking man with long black hair and on his other side was a fairly young woman with a long sheet of black hair. She smiled wickedly with her luscious red lips. They spoke as one, "Daemon, you have traveled far to reach us."

"I have and I have brought you an offering." Daemon presented his gift in his claw-like hand. And there in his palm was a small bottle of a glowing liquid substance.

"Mmm, power from the Sorceress' cupboard. It will do nicely. Now tell us what it is you are here to ask of us."

"I wish for revenge on Ken Ichijouji, the bearer of the Crest of Kindness…"

"And Cruelty." The woman added with a sly grin.

"Yes. I wish for him to suffer and then die. But he is protected by his Crest Guardian."

"As I understand it," the younger man started, "she is living in New York, far away from Ichijouji, what is to stop you from carrying out your wish?"

"She knows when he is in danger, she senses it and will be there to protect him. And not only that, but she is able to kill me so easily. Is there no way you can get rid of her powers…or Mae herself?"

They began to speak in union again; "There is a way. We strip the Crest Guardians powers, leaving her mortal and unable to protect Ichijouji. The problem is we only have the power to do so when she is in the Dark Ocean, and when we strip her powers, it will split not only her soul in two, but Kindness' as well. Meaning that the Sorceress and Emperor will become a separate entity. The other problem is not only do we have to get the Mae in the Dark Ocean, we must have Ichijouji there as well. We can do this while they sleep, but we must warn you Daemon, whatever plans for revenge you have, you must make them quick as you will only have a week, at the most, in order to carry them out."

"Thank you ever so much my lords." Daemon said with a small bow.

* * *

(Author's notes in story form, since we can't do script format anymore.)

Well that's the first chapter, and Ken is looking at me as if to ask, "Where is this going?" He knows I'm hatching an evil idea. Funny thing about this chapter is the timeline fits. It's taken me such a long time to get this story done for some reason, but I hope it is worth the wait.

Also, I want to add that the time difference between New York and Japan (Tokyo) are roughly correct. They are about 13 hours apart. No one will appreciate that except me, 'cause I sat working that out.


	2. Something missing

"Two Faces, One Mask"

2. 'Something missing'

__

"I don't fall how you fall,

I won't hold on,

You can't let go.

When it's pain that I feared

I made you take it slow.

I don't cry how you cry,

There's nothing left in me.

You keep changing my life, every day.

If it burns, I'll keep fueling the same dream,

If you fall, I'll remember to save game,

I don't want your remedy!"

'Remedy' Cold

The dark woman looked at Daemon and then at her fellow Dark Masters. She closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them again, she grinned. "They are asleep."

Daemon looked up sharply and if his face were not concealed they would have seen that he was frowning. "That's a little convenient don't you think? Maybe it's a trap."

The younger male laughed lightly at Daemon; "You are paranoid. Mae and Ken are connected on many levels. Though they are far away from each other, they still feel what the other feels, even though they are not very aware of it. When he is tired, she is tired and so therefore, it is not uncommon to find them sleeping at the same time."

"I see." Daemon growled happily.

------

Ken opened his eyes and found he was no longer lying on his bed, but in a dark strange, familiar land. His stomach sank instantly as he realized where he was. He had not seen it for years, but he would recognize it anywhere. The gray world of the Dark Ocean.

"No." he whispered to himself. "Not again."

Something on the distant horizon caught his attention. It was a woman. She was looking out with her back to him but he would recognize the long flowing wavy hair and the emerald dress (though faded like everything else in the Dark world) anywhere. It was Mae, his Crest Guardian. But what was she doing here? She was in New York. He wanted to make his way to her, but felt someone's eyes on him. He turned and frowned at the figure staring at him. She was quite lovely, but the look in her black eyes told him that she was untrustworthy. She flicked her long black hair away from her face and smiled with her crimson lips as she lifted her hand to Ken's face. Her soft palm rested on his check for a moment, before he jumped back. Again, she grinned at him and stepped forward.

"What do you want?" Ken asked through clenched teeth.

"For you to relax, this will be over in a moment…"

"What will…?" but she didn't answer him; instead she dived forward and knocked him to the ground. He struggled to get her off him, but she grabbed his throat with one hand and with the other, she brought her fingers close to his eyes. He yelled out for her to stop, but before his mind could register what she was doing, or before it could register the pain, she had shoved two of her long, slender fingers into his eyes. When she slowly removed them from his sockets, a glowing orb of deep blue, like a gas flame, followed her fingers. Ken blinked several times, and when his vision came back into focus he saw this and frowned.

"What have you done?"

She tore her eyes away from the orb to look down into his blue eyes, now very bruised around the edges. "Taking half your soul."

It took a while for Ken to register what she was saying, "How…what…why…?"

"No time for questions." And she scooped up the orb into the palm of her hand and disappeared before his eyes.

He slowly got to his feet and darted his gaze everywhere in search of Mae, but she too was gone. Surprisingly shaky, Ken fell to his knees and felt the world around him fade to black.

When he awoke again, he was in his apartment on his bed. He sat bolt upright, panting; he brought his hands to his eyes and felt them. Then he darted to a mirror in the bathroom. His eyes were perfectly normal. There was no bruising or marks whatsoever. He sighed, relieved, "Just a dream."

"Ken?" he looked down at Wormmon, "Are you alright?"

"Ah, yeah, buddy, it was just a dream." The twenty-year-old looked around, his face had a clear look of concentration upon it, "Did I remember to turn off the stove this morning?"

Wormmon looked up at him with a frown, "Um, I think so." He replied, rather taken aback by the odd question.

------

On the other side of the world, Mae too, sat bolt upright in her bed, startling Gennai next to her. He put a hand on her shoulder and gently asked her, "What's wrong?"

Her breath was shallow and uneven, "The Dark Masters…they've taken…no, it's not possible…"

Gennai frowned and forced her to look him in the eyes, "Mae, what happened?"

She swallowed, "They…they've taken…they've split our souls."

"What do you mean?"

"They've separated the Light half from the Dark."

Gennai's mouth fell open and a look of total shock came over him as he digested this information and what it could mean. "That means…" He stared at her and his eyes widened, "We have to get to Japan right now."

"No…I mean, you should go to the Digital world to keep an eye on it, I'll go to Japan."

She hopped out of bed, and began to get dressed. Gennai followed suit but he did his dressing with his power to materialize his thoughts. He looked at her, "You don't…I mean?"

She glanced at her hand; "No I haven't used them in a long time." Then she held it out next to her, "But I'm sure I could still open a portal." With all her might, she tried, but nothing happened. And shock came over her features; "They've stripped my powers."

Gennai felt the bottom of his stomach fall away, but tried not to let his worry show on his face. He needed to be strong for her.

He put a reassuring hand on her cheek and opened a portal for her; "We'll get to the bottom of this Mae, I promise you that."

------

"Kari, you know I can't do that…" Ken chuckled and took a sip of his coffee.

"Aww just a tiny clue." She giggled and snuggled closer to TK.

Yolei, smiling, rolled her eyes at Kari, "See I told you, no clues on the test from the teacher."

"Oh, Ken," Davis began as he re-joined the group of Digidestined sitting in their favorite booth at the coffee shop, "How's your leg?"

"Oh, it's fine Davis, don't worry about it." Ken waved it away.

"I'm really sorry though." He took a closer look at his best friend, "You okay buddy?"

Ken looked at him and frowned slightly, "Yeah, why?"

"You just look kinda tired."

Yolei took a closer look at her boy friend's eyes, "Yeah, they do seem to have heavy shadows under them. Ken, are you sure you're getting enough sleep? I told you not to work on that…"

"Um, will you excuse me a moment? I'll be right back." And before Ken could hear anymore of Yolei's lecture, he got up and headed for the bathroom. He pushed the door open and studied his face in the mirror. He did indeed have heavy blue shadows under his eyes, but at closer inspection, he saw that they were bruises. His hands shaking, he splashed some cold water on his face and spoke to his reflection. Panic was suddenly coursing through him. "That can't have been real. It was just a nightmare. That's all." Seemingly happy with that futile attempt to assure him self, he left the bathroom and sat back down with his friends. Though, try as he might, he could not focus his attention on any of the conversations.

------

Mae looked down at the small piece of paper; she had scribbled Ken's address down on it. She wandered down the hallway and finally found the door that had the number '34' on it in brass. She rapped on the door several times before anxiously looking around. When no answer came, she ran her fingers through her shoulder length, wavy brown hair and placed her left hand in her back pocket of her blue jeans. She knocked again, but still no answer. She sighed deeply and sat down on the floor, with her back leaning against the white door. If she had to she would wait all night there for him.

Suddenly the door opened and she fell backwards. Wormmon and Poromon looked curiously at her and she picked herself up and thanked both of them for letting her in.

"What's wrong Mae?" Wormmon asked, terrified of what the answer might be.

"I should wait till Ken gets back. Where is he?"

Hawkmon looked up at her from where he stood on the couch; "They all went out to movies and coffee. But they should be back very soon." He added when he noticed her edge towards the door again.

Outside the door, Ken and Yolei were making their way to their apartment.

"I told you twice tonight Ken, I turned off the iron, I promise."

"Sorry Yolei, it's just I've had this odd feeling all day that I've forgotten to do something. Or something's missing. I don't know, it's just strange."

Yolei looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I help you check the apartment."

He gave her a weak smile, "Thanks. I'm sure it's nothing."

They pushed the key into the lock, but discovered that the door was open. They glanced at each other quizzically and cautiously entered the apartment. They stopped in the doorway at the site of Mae standing in front of their couch.

The expression on her face was so dramatic that it made Ken's stomach sink and Yolei gasp.

"Ken." Mae breathed.

He remained silent. Yolei slowly closed the door behind her and walked over to Poromon.

"Ken, I…" But Mae never finished because Ken walked from the door to the bedroom where he closed the door behind him. He sat down on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands. No, he could not go through something like the Ebonwumon saga again. That almost killed him, mentally, physically, anyway you looked at it. He was so tired of all the pain, all the fighting. No, enough was enough.

Mae looked to Yolei.

"What is it now Mae?" Yolei asked, "Now who wants him dead? Because quite frankly…" Yolei trailed off when she noticed Mae's eyes. Usually a bright emerald, they were dull and tired looking, with heavy shadows under them, much like Ken's. "What happened?"

Mae swallowed and held back tears. Yolei was almost startled by this. Only once had she seen Mae act this way and that was when Ken was in grave danger. Mae was a powerful woman, a Crest Guardian of the Digital world and strong. Never, in all they had been through had Yolei seen Mae falter or almost cry, not like this anyway. "I have to speak to Ken." Mae choked, "It's critical Yolei."

"What is it?" Wormmon urged.

The sound of a door opening drew their attentions and the tall indigo haired young man stepped into the room. His eyes, Yolei noticed were even worse than they were just a few minutes ago. Now she saw that they were not shadows, but bruises. She gasped and yelled, "What's going on?"

"I'm not going back there." Ken said finally.

Mae frowned deeply, "Ken you must! There are…"

"NO!" he yelled, "I told you that I was never going back to the Digital world and there is no way…"

"You're dying!" Mae screamed.

Silence. Shock.

Then she whispered, "You're dying."

Yolei's hand flew to her mouth and she shook her head. Wormmon had tears falling freely. And Ken stood staring at his Crest Guardian.

"What?"

"Sit down Ken." Mae offered.

"I'm fine standing." He snapped back.

She took a deep breath, "For some reason the Dark Masters, that being the opposite of the Light Masters, have stolen half your soul, and mine. They stripped my powers in the process. You had a dream in the Dark Ocean?"

Ken nodded wordlessly.

"It was no dream. What happened there was real."

"How can someone take half my soul? Why would they do that?"  
"The Dark Masters are capable of anything. As for the reason for why they would do it, I have no idea. But Ken, no one can live with only half a soul. One half cannot live without the other. Light must have dark and dark must have…"

"Dark? They took the dark side?" Ken asked a mixture of happiness and worry in his tone.

"Yes."

"That means the Emperor in me is gone?"

"Yes, but Ken that is not necessarily a good thing…"

"Like hell it's not a good thing! I've been wanting him gone for years and now I finally have my wish! No fighting with him, no guilt, no worrying!"

"No Ken!" Mae urged, "You don't understand. You may be all good now, but there is another half of you out there, the Emperor and he's all evil. Just as is the case with the Sorceress and me. Gennai told me they are in the digital world. You have to come with me to join back together with him."

"NO! I told you I'm never going back there!"

"Ken, do you honestly think I want to go there and face my worst fear? Remember I told you that I have never come face to face with her and never want to. Well I still don't, but I have to. You'll die without that other half Ken."

"So be it." He growled.

"Ken!" Yolei cried, frowning at him with tears in her eyes.

He looked down at her and Wormmon on the couch with a soft look on his face, "I'm sorry, but I can't do this again." And walked to the front door.

"Can't or won't?" Mae asked.

"Won't." he finally voiced as he stepped out the apartment.

Mae looked up and closed her eyes, but when Yolei sobbed she sat next to her, "Is he really going to die?"

"If we don't bring the two together, yes." She looked to the door and back at Yolei again, "Can you and the others get to the digital world, while I hunt down Ken and talk some sense into him?"

Yolei sniffed and nodded, "Aren't you going to the Digital world?"

"I will, once I have Ken."

Yolei got up and went to the phone to let the others know what was going on. Mae turned back to her before she left, "I'm sorry you know. I don't believe I ever did really apologize."

Yolei looked at her, "Apologize for what?"

"For what the Sorceress did to, well…Ken." Her gaze went to the floor in shame.

Yolei smiled weakly, "_She_ did those things to the _Emperor_. But for what it's worth…I forgive you."

Mae nodded and left closing the door behind her.

------

Daemon smiled as he looked at the destruction going on in the digital world. The Emperor and Sorceress had only been there for a few hours and already they had claimed so much of it and cast fear into thousands of Digimon. He noted their ruthlessness and coldness for anything living. They cared only for their goals and for themselves. Ambition was their drug and they took it in large doses.

He was just waiting for what he knew would come next. The Digidestined would come and that would mean Ken would come, with the Dark Spore and his ideas for causing immense suffering on the young man. "Soon…soon I will have my revenge."

------

(A/N)

My muses have asked me if I'm going to let Ken die. Now why, I'd tell them this I don't know. Thing is, it has crossed my mind several times.

As I look to the muses, their mouths have dropped open and Ken is throwing pens at me. Anyway, it did take me a while to write this chapter for some reason, but that was two years ago. Wow, I really took my time on this one.

Thanks for the reviews guys. To answer a question I got, those three as you can see from this chapter are the 'Dark Masters'. I used my poetic license and used that title for my own creation. I've used them before in 'The End of the End' one of my first Fanfics. (Don't bother reading it).

I'm going to try and get a chapter of this story out every Sunday. I'm going to be busy in the months to come…exams, so bear with me if I am late to deliver a chapter. Till next time…read and review!


	3. Heavy decisions

"Two Faces, One Mask"

3. 'Heavy decisions'

__

"We all begin with good intent

When love is raw and young,

We believe that we could change ourselves,

The past can be undone.

But we carry on our back the burdens time always reveals

In the lonely light of morning,

In the wound that would not heal.

It's the bitter taste of losing everything

I've held so dear."

'Fallen' Sarah McLachlan

The streets were surprisingly quiet for the time of day. If Ken had been paying attention, he would have felt the nip in the air as well as the sent that traveled on the wind, bringing the promise of rain. But his mind was too busy trying to wrap around something else entirely. He had just found out his soul had been split in half. His dark side was now running rampage in the Digital world and he carried all it's emotions, conscience, pain and guilt. In a way he envied that half. It was free of all he felt. Free to do as it wished. While he, as always was left behind to clean up and deal with the mess it made. He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his Indigo hair (just below his chin and just above his shoulders now) and noticed that it was damp. He looked up into the dark sky and found it to be raining. Only lightly, but enough to soak everything it touched. He didn't shun it; he welcomed it because as he examined himself in a window, he noticed it hid his tears. His eyes looked as if they had gone a few rounds with a bouncer of a very trendy club and they were dull and tired. He laughed through his nose quietly at the thought; "Eyes are the windows to the soul." And then shook his head.

His feet seemed to be on auto-pilot because he really had no destination in mind, but found himself at the park. He surrendered to it and sat down on a swing, put his elbows on his knees and ran his hands through his hair again, leaving them at the back of his neck. With no effort to stop them, tears flowed and mingled freely with the rain on his already damp cheeks. His body convulsed slightly with his sobs that were not audible over the thunder in the sky. Was this possible? Why did this always happen to him?

"I can't do this again. If I don't die from not having my full soul, I'll die just from this excruciating decision. I have always wished for him to be gone. To not be apart of me anymore, how can I now rejoin with him? I should learn to be careful for what I wish for." He was talking to the air around him. Or was it someone close to him that he felt was there?

"I never wanted to go back there. That place was filled with many good memories for the others, but for me? What did it give me? Pain, guilt, anger, hate!"

"And friends."

Slowly, as if he knew she would be there, he lifted his head to face Mae. "I am thankful for my friends you know." He said slowly, biting back the sobs. "But all I have there is bad memories. I can't face this again. Enough is enough Mae. Please."

"I wish I could say that you don't have to go, but that is where the Emperor is and in order for you to live and save the Digital world, you have to go there."

"Are you-? Are you dying too?"

She hung her head and closed her eyes tight; "I don't get that privilege remember."

"Wanna trade?" he said half sarcastically.

"Ken, don't."

"I was only joking-"

"No you weren't." she snapped. "I know how this makes you feel. Death has never scared you has it? You even welcome it sometimes and now you are dying and you're not going to do anything to stop it are you? Is that how you feel?"

Reading him that well agitated him greatly and he stood up forcefully and walked away from her. With his back to her he growled, "Don't stand there telling me how I feel! I already know how I feel! I already know that sometimes I just want to go to sleep and never wake up. I already know that I love Yolei and she loves me and that she would die if anything happened to me! The same goes with Wormmon and Davis! I already know that the digital world depends on us to save it! You know how I know this, because my conscience has been berating me ever since I found all of this out! I don't even know if this is real. How do I know you are telling me the truth? You could just be tricking me again for another test!"

"Enough! Ken, listen to me. This is no test, don't you feel like something is missing?"

"Yes-"

"There! That's proof, half a soul is always missing something! Now are we going to argue about this in the rain or are you going to help me save the Digital world?"

Ken swallowed and after a long silence replied, "Let's find a port."

------

"This is too far gone." Davis sighed, "I can't believe this is happening to him. How much more crap must he go through till he is left alone to be happy?"

"This isn't fair I know Davis," Yolei started, "but we really don't have time to dwell on it. We have to go to the Digital world to check in with Gennai and help out where we are needed."

Kari put a comforting hand of support on her best friend's shoulder, "He'll be okay Yolei, don't worry."

"Yeah," TK added, "we won't let anything happen to him."

"I hate to break it to you 'TZ the pep squad', but something already has happened to him! He's dying remember? And we don't even know how long he has before he can join back together with the Emperor."

Yolei choked back a sob.

"Davis!" Kari scolded, "Stop it!"

"No! I'm sick of this positive attitude of thinking we can always fix things! I know I'm usually the one starting it, but enough is enough! I'm sick of seeing my best friend suffer for past mistakes. And I'm sick of always fighting. And from what Mae told Yolei, we are gonna have to fight a side of our friend. My best friend and I don't know about you guys, but that makes me sick to my stomach. It's different now. We know the Emperor and we know he belongs to…he belongs to a great person."

TK made to pat Davis on the shoulder in sympathy, but he shunned him and walked away from the group to sit on the couch.

"We really should get going." Cody finally said after what felt like hours.

Wordlessly the group and their Digimon nodded and headed to the computer.

"Yolei, your door is unlocked." TK commented.

"Leave it, it's for Ken and Mae when they get back. Hopefully they will take this port to the Digital world and meet us there." She sniffed and turned back to the monitor and showed her D-3 to it yelling, "Digi-port open!"

------

"I would say this was a good first day." A cruel male voice commented as he watched hundreds of Digimon busy at work on spires, from behind violet tinted visors.

"I would have to agree with you there." A silky timbre traveled from the door to his ears.

"Though there is still so much to do." He added.

"Indeed." She replied while rubbing his shoulders. Her long fingers tipped with crimson nails pinched his flesh and he spun to face her quickly. Her long straight red auburn hair framed her face in a mysterious way and her bright green eyes sparkled with evil, while her crimson lips, pouty and kissable, grinned wickedly at him. "We could have some fun first though. All work and no play makes Emperor a dull boy." She raised her eyebrow.

"What did you have in mind?" He asked grinning.

"Well, we haven't caused mass panic in that sector yet." Her long slender finger indicated towards a map of the digital world where an area was indeed free of their terror.

"I thought you didn't want to work anymore today." He commented as he cocked his head to the side.

"Who said this was work? I find striking terror in those weaker than ourselves fun, don't you?" She began to giggle, until finally it climaxed into a maniacal laugh.

"So what are we waiting for?" he said getting up and engaging her with a passionate kiss.

------

"Oh my God, look at this place." Kari gasped.

"It's worse than I imagined." Gatomon added.

Their eyes fell on the destruction all around them. Ash littered most of the land they stood on and in some areas fire was still burning. Spires were everywhere they looked and there wasn't a Digimon they found not wearing a dark ring.

"Terrible isn't it?" a melancholy voice said behind them.

They turned slowly to see Gennai standing solemnly amongst the burnt forest.

"How did they do this? And in such a small amount of time?" Cody couldn't believe what he was seeing. "They are power. And they are ruthless. Nothing stops them. Anyone who tries, is killed." Gennai hung his head.

"Blast marks." TK breathed, looking at a tree.

"What?" Davis inquired.

"Blast marks. All the areas that were burnt or burning were caused by them blasting balls of energy or fire at Digimon. Am I right Gennai?"

"I'm afraid you are TK. The Sorceress has given the Emperor a sip of her power again. They are practically unstoppable. The only way to stop them is to join them back together with Mae and Ken." Gennai glanced around himself, "This area is near their base, we should leave now and find safety."

"What?" Cody yelled, "Leave? We are so close to their base. Let's just fight them, subdue them and when Ken and Mae get here, join them back together and go home."

"Cody, it's not that simple! They are not the enemies you remember! They are evil. Pure and simple. They have no conscience, no remorse, nothing! They will kill you if you get in the way of their TV, much less in the way of their plans. This is no light matter Cody, we have to think this out very carefully."

"You're telling me." A small voice said coming up behind them.

Yolei spun to see Ken and Mae walking towards them and away from the TV they had just come out of.

"Ken!" Yolei choked and flung her arms around him.

"Hey." He said quietly to her.

"So what's the plan Mae?" Davis asked.

She took in a deep breath and sighed, "Like Gennai said, we should get out of here and think of a plan."

"Aww leaving so fast? I didn't even get to say hello."

Slowly, each head swiveled to see Daemon standing tall behind them, and if his face were not covered, they would have seen he was grinning wickedly.

"This can't be good." Veemon commented.

------

(A/N)

Wow, sorry guys, I forgot how short this chapter was. Thing is, I had to cut it there otherwise the fourth chapter just wouldn't have been right. I think this is the shortest chapter out of the whole story. It took me a really long time to write it though, that I remember because I deleted the whole thing and started it again. I hated the first draft, it sucked. Okay, well now since the exposition is out of the way, we can get down to the nitty-gritty of the story. Hope you're enjoying it. Tell me what you like and don't like.


	4. Intervention

"Two Faces, One Mask"

4. 'Intervention'

__

"How does it feel to be

Different from me?

Are we the same?

How does it feel?

I am young and I am free

But I get tired and I get weak.

I get lost and I can't sleep."

'How does it feel' Avril Lavigne

"Daemon!" Mae hissed, "What the hell are you doing here and what is it that you want?"

"Now, now Mae," he said in a cocky tone, "is that anyway to speak to an old friend and companion?"

Her eyes narrowed together till they were slits, "Talk, or I'll kill you right here."

He chuckled at her.

"What's so funny?"

"Your threat. You can't harm me and you know it."

Her features went slack and slowly molded into realization; "It was you! You're the one who told the Dark Masters to strip my powers and spilt our souls!"

"Well, yes, I did tell them to strip your powers but the only way they could do it, was to split your soul and Ken over there was an added bonus."

"What did you promise them?" she hissed, "Why did you do this?"

"I didn't promise them anything. They saw my plan and took advantage of the fact that they would have two more willing servants for the darkness, while I get to carry out my plans for revenge on Ichijouji here," He glanced at the indigo haired young man and then back to Mae, "Without having to worry about you killing me in the process."

"What do you want with me?" Ken asked as calmly as he could.

Daemon's red glowing eyes rested once more on the man. They were filled with detest for him, "What do I want with you?" he repeated quietly, "What do I want with you? I want you to suffer as I have! You locked me away in that hell dimension, The Dark Ocean! Now I'm going to banish you there and see how you like it! Feeling like each day your strength and life slips from you just a little at a time and there's nothing you can do to stop it, until you think you're going to go insane from the world itself. But you don't, because that would be better and so much more kind!" In a flash, he grabbed Ken's arm and yanked him close to the Dark Lord Digimon; "I've waited a long time for this Ken." He hissed.

Ken struggled to get free. Wormmon threw a sticky net at Daemon and Veemon proceeded with a head-butt, but they were useless against him and his grip on Ken became even firmer.

"Let him go!" Davis yelled.

"Don't do this!" Screamed Yolei.

"Daemon!" Mae pleaded, "Leave him be!"

"I think that's a good idea." A cruel male voice rang out.

"I agree." A silky female timber followed.

Everyone turned to see the Digimon Emperor and the Sorceress standing side by side upon a Devidramon, grinning insanely.

"What is this?" Daemon growled, "We had an agreement that we would stay out of each others way and plans."

The couple looked at each other and turning back to Daemon, shrugged, "We lied."

"We have plans for our counterparts." The Emperor stated.

"We're sorry about this Daemon but we've decided that you may not punish Ken or Mae for that matter until we are done with them." The Sorceress said sweetly.

"But you don't need them!"

The group turned to each other, looking almost shocked that they were pretty much forgotten in all this, as if they were unimportant.

"We may not need them Daemon, but we are a little bored. I mean, look around you. This world is almost ours and well, what then? Some torture and suffering for Ken and Mae sounded so good when we were flying over head and spotted you guys having your discussion."

"He's mine!" Daemon yanked at Ken's arm again and he yelled out in pain.

"Daemon, didn't anyone teach you to share?" The Emperor laughed.

"Besides, you stand in my way Daemon and _I'll_ kill you." The Sorceress said very seriously. Her face, just a moment ago very girlish and happy, now dark and determined, "You should have remembered that I got all Mae's powers. If you wish to die, tell us again that we cannot have him." She raised her eyebrow challenging him.

He said nothing and flung Ken at their feet. The child prodigy gritted his teeth and looked up at them with detest as the Emperor ordered the Devidramon to pick him up as well as Mae.

Ken yelled out again as did Mae and both struggled to get free, though it was futile.

Davis, Yolei, Wormmon and the other's all screamed out to them but it was too late for any of them to do anything. They watched as their friends were taken away to a white castle close to the beach and forest.

"This is your fault you bastard!" Davis spat at Daemon.

"This is not how things were supposed to turn out!" the Dark Lord Digimon ground out.

"Gee, you know I don't think I really want to hear your problems right now." Yolei folded her arms and turned away from everyone, biting back the tears that so desperately wanted to let loose.

Kari put a hand on her best friend's shoulder, and Yolei fell to her knees, "This isn't fair." She whispered.

"I know it's not." Kari soothed.

"I have a proposition for you-"

Davis cut Daemon off, "I'm sorry are you still here?"

"Hear me out."

"No I don't think we will!" Cody snapped.

"You heard them Daemon," Gennai began, "leave or we will force you to go."

He snorted at them, "With what army?" his composure became very serious, "Listen to me. You have no power, you cannot digivolve…"

TK was about to mention the Armor Digivolving when Daemon interrupted him, "And forget about 'Digi-armor Energizing' because you know as well as I do that they are far more powerful than you. We both want to take them down, so why not work together?"

"ARE YOU INSANE?" Davis barked, "Team up with you? Man! All those years in the Dark Ocean must have dissolved your brain!"

"I'm not saying we work towards the same goal-"

"You better not!"

"Davis, let him speak and see what he wants." Kari soothed, then turned with a cold look to Daemon, "And then we'll see if we'll kill him."

Daemon regained his composure, "I'm just saying we work together to bring down the Emperor and the Sorceress."

"Why?" Wormmon asked. For a small creature he was extremely brave 'standing' up to Daemon like that. At his feet, staring up at him with hatred in his eyes. Veemon went and stood next to him to back him up.

"You save the Digital world that way and I get Ken-"

"Never!" Davis, Yolei and Wormmon yelled.

"Fine, we'll work to stop them and see what happens from there."

The group looked at each other and huddled closely. "We aren't actually considering this are we?" TK asked.

"What choice do we have?" Gennai started, "We have to save Ken and Mae from the castle and get Ken and the Emperor back together before they die, we are on a time limit and having him on our side could prove useful. We'll keep a close eye on him and the moment we have Ken and Mae, the deal is off."

"Yolei, Davis, Wormmon?" TK asked, "How do you feel about this?"

Yolei was chewing her cheek, "Like Gennai said we don't have much choice, the sooner we get Ken back the better."

Davis nodded wordlessly in agreement. The group turned to Wormmon, who looked up at them and said, "Let's just hurry okay?"

"Fine, it's agreed." Gennai moved over to Daemon, "Shake on it."

And the Guardian and Dark Lord Digimon shook hands temporarily changing enemies to allies.

------

"Let me go you son of a-" the Emperor covered Ken's mouth with his gloved hand and shoved him into a damp, cold cell.

"Ken! That's your mother as well remember. You kiss her with that mouth?"

"Let me go you bit-"

The Sorceress proceeded to lock Mae in the cell opposite to Ken's. "Watch your mouth Mae, you learn those words on the streets of New York?"

Grinning darkly at each other the two evil counterparts glanced once more at their other halves and left the dungeon. "We'll be back later, don't despair." The Emperor promised.

He and the Sorceress began to walk up the gray stone steps of the castle.

Once sure they had departed, Mae sat close to the bars, so she could be close to Ken. Though that was not close at all, because of the wide corridor between them.

Ken looked up at the cell. It was exactly the same as the cells in his Base. He sighed heavily, taking in the stale, icy air around him. He just registered the smell and thought that it was familiar. It even smelt like the cells in his Base.

He purposely avoided looking at Mae. He was shaking and he was sure it had nothing to do with how sick he was feeling. As far as he was concerned she was responsible for this. If he had stood by what he had said two years ago, that he would never come back to the Digital world, he would not be here, or in this situation.

Feeling incredibly bitter, he pushed himself towards the end of the cell and leaned against the cold wall. Then he drew up his knees and put his head on them. He felt tired and weak. He kept thinking to himself that this was all surreal and that it was a nightmare, which he would soon wake from. But another part of him knew better.

Mae never took her eyes off him. She was feeling incredibly guilty because she knew exactly what Ken was thinking…this was her fault. She was about to say something when he finally looked up. He stared at her for a while, making her feel even more uncomfortable.

"You're clothes are the same." He stated dully.

She frowned and digested what he had said for a few seconds before she dropped her head and noticed that he was right. She was still wearing a black top and blue jeans and not her usual Digital world, Crest Guardian dress, which was emerald and medieval.

"I guess it's because my powers were stripped." She looked back up at him and caught her breath, "Ken! Are you all right? You look so pale!"

He lifted a shaky hand up to his forehead and touched it lightly, "No, I feel really sick…and weak."

"Lie down for a moment Ken, it's probably a dizzy spell, brought on by…"

"Me dying?" He finished.

------

The Emperor sat quietly on his throne, in front of a wall of monitors. Many of them showed areas that were destroyed. Others showed rooms within the castle, but the one he was most interested in at this very moment in time, was the monitor with Ken on it. He stared hard at his alter ego and narrowed his eyes at Ken's face. He noticed that Ken looked even more pale than usual and that a small sweat had formed on his brow. He must be running a fever, but why? He had done nothing to him yet and the air down in the cell wasn't that bad.

He felt a presence to his right and glanced in that direction. It was the Sorceress. For the first time, he didn't look her up and down and take in her long slender legs showing through the slits in her black dress. Nor her long red auburn hair and pouty red lips. He looked straight back at Ken with a look of detest.

"So what is your first game with him?" she asked him as she sat down next to him.

"Game?" he growled, "God! You still treat me like a child! That good-for-nothing down there is going to pay for locking ME away! Daemon thinks he's suffered? He has no idea what it's like to be trapped inside someone and denied existence!" his features softened and he stroked her cheek, "But you do…that's why you are going to help me."

"You know I'd do anything for you."

"I think I'll take a trip to Mama and Papa's house…" he began but stopped dead. His world suddenly began to blur around him and spots were winking in front of his eyes. He had the strangest sensation that he was slipping out of his chair but then something stopped him.

"Ken!" the Sorceress caught him mid sentence and mid way to stop him from hitting the floor. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern all over her lovely face.

He regained his poise and sat down on his throne again with her aid, "Yeah, I think so. It was just a dizzy spell."

------

(A/N)

Ah, another really short chapter. What was I thinking when I wrote these all those years ago? I'm sorry guys, I would add more, but it would spoil the other chapters and the sequence in which I've written them. I think it also seems really, really short to me is because I've been writing "Cruel Kindness" recently and those chapters are long. Anyway, things will get intense very soon, don't worry.

Some one gave me a good crit saying I made the Digidestined talk too formally. I have often wondered that, but I can't see it. Do you mean I should have them say things like, "it's" instead of "It is". Or "wanna" instead of "want to"? Is that what you meant, or did you mean their whole speech pattern was too formal?

Thanks for the reviews guys!

Oh and Osamu is sitting here asking me when he's going to make an appearance and I'll give you the answer I gave him: Soon!


	5. Hidden Past

"Two Faces, One Mask"

5. 'Hidden past'

__

"For so long life's been held up tight inside your hold

And it leaves me there without a place to call my own.

I know now what shadows can see

There's no point in running 'less you run with me.

It's half the distance through the open door

Before you cut me down

Again.

Let me introduce you to the end.

And I feel the cold wind blowing beneath my wings.

It always leads me back to suffering,

But I will soar until the wind whips me down,

Leaves me beaten on unholy ground again."

'Shackled' Vertical Horizon

"This is unbelievable." Yolei growled.

"I know, but it's the only way we have an advantage." Hawkmon reassured her.

She turned to him and frowned slightly, "Oh, no, that too, but I meant this. All this…" she gestured around her, "this destruction."

The group (except Daemon) looked up to the sky. The once pale blue blanket covering the digital world, with streaks of sunlight piercing it was now looking like something out of a war movie. With deep gray menacing clouds stained with crimson in intermittent intervals, it threatened a heavy thunderstorm that never came. Every now and then lightning would light up the doomsday cotton candy and appear to be on fire. Smoke traveled up and made it's way towards the dense sky and raging fires burned on. Digimon seemed scarce and a heavy feeling of evil hung in the air.

"The world is becoming unbalanced." Gennai stated.

"It's so dark." Kari shuddered and held her arms.

"This is what happens when the balance gets tipped in Evil's favor." Gatomon informed them, "We've never had to fight something so evil."

"Ken is NOT evil!" Davis ground out in defense of his best friend, his hands in fists.

"No, Ken isn't," Gennai said softly and kindly, "But the Emperor is and so is the Sorceress."

"We've faced off with the Emperor before." Armadillomon commented.

"Yes we have." Cody replied, "But technically this isn't the Emperor we fought back then, this guy is pure evil. He's even more ruthless than Ken was back then and I'm guessing a lot more powerful."

"Great!" Patamon sighed from atop TK's head; "Like he wasn't that hard to defeat last time, now he's even more powerful and he has the Sorceress with him."

TK looked up at his head and looked back to everyone else, "He's right. It wasn't easy beating him. Remember technically it was Wormmon who saved us."

The group fell silent and glanced at Wormmon, remembering his sacrifice. He looked up at them with his blue orbs, "It's okay," he said quietly, "it was a long time ago and…" he paused not knowing how to tell them that he had come to terms with that painful memory. He looked up at them with shining eyes, "But hopefully this time no one will die."

The group nodded and continued on their path, following Daemon at a safe distance. They looked around themselves every so often, at the once dense forest, which was now a smoldering shell of its former self.

There were only a few areas, which were left untouched. They noticed as they walked on, that the area was looking more and more like the Digital World Forest they knew and not like the war zone they had arrived in. They also noticed that there were no Control Spires in this area.

Daemon turned to look behind him and at the uneasy group; "We're almost there. Relax, I won't hurt you." He turned back round to watch the path ahead of him and muttered under his breath, "Not yet anyway."

------

"How are you feeling now?" her long fingers, tipped with crimson nails rubbed at his shoulders, while he nibbled on some chocolate that a slave had brought from the kitchen.

"Better." He growled as he got to his feet. Truthfully, he still felt a little on the weak side, but that sort of thing had never stopped him before and he'd be damned if it was going to stop him now. It seemed the only thing that was fueling him was anger and hate. There was a strange sensation he felt in his gut, a feeling he wasn't all too familiar with, but if he thought about the feeling, he felt worse. So he pushed it down and tried to ignore it. Hopefully, it would go away.

The Sorceress watched him for a while, studying him. She knew something was not right, but decided not to push the subject. She knew the Emperor to be on the temperamental side.

"I'm glad that you're feeling better." She smiled and began to run her soft hand up and down his chest, "Now what was it you were planning to do?"

The question brought him back with a hard knock and it was a while before he remembered what he was planning. He regained his composure and focus and stared into her bright green eyes, "I thought I might go pay a visit to Ken's parents - my parents - and show them how it feels to suffer. Of course, they will not know what it is that I felt when they ignored me or treated me like a tool for their own gain." His eyes narrowed in to a scowl at the memories of his haunted past. "And I just know that they'll be thrilled to meet me!"

She hesitated, "But what about Ken and Mae down in the dungeon?"

He turned away from her and looked up at the huge monitor, "What about them?" he asked distractedly.

She sat down on her throne, "I just thought we were going to have some fun with them. You know, torture them or something?"

"What?" the Emperor turned to face her, "Oh, that." Truth be told, he had almost forgotten that plan. He sighed and shook his head, as if that would help him get his thoughts straight.

"You can do what you like with them while I'm gone."

She frowned as he turned back to the monitor. His apathy was cause for concern.

------

"How do you feel now Ken?" Mae asked tentatively from across the way.

"Still a bit strange, but better." He looked around his cell and out a small window, the size of a sheet of paper. The confined space was making him claustrophobic. The air was making him feel light headed and nauseous and he was starting to feel a little panicky.

"We need to get out of here. Who knows what they have in store for us." He said quickly.

"We wouldn't know." Mae sighed, "We cannot conceive of the evil that they can. We must stop them and get each other back together."

"How is that going to happen?"

"A spell. It's not too difficult but the Light Masters will probably do it, since the Dark Masters separated us in the first place."

"Oh, right." Ken bit off the reply with bitterness.

"You don't like them too much do you?"

"No, not really." He turned to look out the tiny window.

"I understand you know. After they…after they-"

"Gave me back my brother for a while just to have him ripped from me again?" he barked. "Look Mae, I really don't want to talk about this now. What I really want to do it get the hell out of here."

She stared at him for a while. He looked desperate and a little deranged.

Quickly, her emerald eyes (now slightly dull) searched the area for something long and thin to pick the lock with. She spotted something glinting in the tiny streak of light coming from her window. It resembled a shard of Dark Ring. She picked up the cold metal and began poking it around in the keyhole.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Ken asked a bit taken aback by her behavior.

"Actually, not really, but if it works in the movies, maybe it will work for us."

Ken rolled his eyes, "Locks work on a basis of pins and springs. When you hit something hard in the lock, try to push it down and to the side, then turn the shard of Dark Ring you have in the lock, like a key, it should release the pins and unlock the door."

Mae raised her eyebrow for a moment and followed through with his instructions. To her surprise it worked and the door swung open, but not before she slipped and cut her finger on the shard of cold metal. She grimaced and proceeded to suck her finger, blood oozing from the small wound.

"You okay?" the young man across from her questioned.

She nodded still sucking on her finger, "How did you know how to do that?"

He shrugged, "It's amazing what you can learn on the Internet."

She cocked her head at him with narrowed eyes.

"It's true, but I only ever once used the knowledge to get into my file cabinet when I lost my key."

"Sure Ichijouji, sure." She looked skeptically at him and proceeded to hand him the shard of metal so he could pick his lock.

After a few seconds of fiddling around with his lock, his door swung open as well and stepping out he shrugged and threw down the metal, "Don't believe me then."

"We may need this." She mumbled picking up the dark shard again and pocketing it.

------

"We're here." Daemon's cold, grating voice cut through the thick silence.

"Yeah, but where exactly is 'here'?" Yolei muttered to Davis.

"I don't like this at all." Davis whispered back.

"This is our back up." Daemon informed them.

He had taken them to a clearing, where it was still slightly green, though seemed faded, and sitting outside a dark stone castle, were Ladydevimon and Devimon.

"No way!" TK yelled with seething anger.

Gennai put a hand on his shoulder, "We don't have much choice TK, please-"

"NO! There is no way I'm working with them, and especially him!" he pointed to Devimon.

"I don't blame the boy." Devimon growled, "I wouldn't want to work with him either."

TK narrowed his eyes and scowled at him with detest.

"What is going on here Daemon?" Ladydevimon questioned.

"We have made a temporary truce with the Digidestined in order to defeat the Emperor and Sorceress. They have taken Ken with them. We both want him but divided we will fail, together we will win."

"You're joking aren't you?" she scoffed.

"NO! This is the only way." He barked.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Devimon asked.

"We attack their base. While you two storm the place and distract them, we," he looked to the Digidestined, "will go after Ken. Whoever gets to him first, keeps him."

Yolei, Davis and Wormmon scowled at him.

"Are you crazy Daemon?" Ladydevimon laughed, "The Sorceress will kill us so easily and without thought!"

"I will make sure that does not happen. Now are you in or out?"

She looked to Devimon, then shrugged, "What choice do we have? Fine, we'll do it."

"Good. We storm their base tonight."

Kari looked up to the sky, "When is that? It's dark all the time."

Gatomon looked at Kari's watch, "That's in a few hours time."

"Hmm, she is right." Daemon mused, "Why wait? We'll do it now."

"I'm not doing this!" TK repeated.

"Please TK," Davis urged, "For Ken and Mae."

TK ground his teeth and finally sighed, "Okay…for Ken and Mae."

"It will be okay TK." Patamon reassured him.

He sighed deeply and shuddered, "I hope so."

------

"Enjoy your stay in the real world sweetie." The Sorceress cooed as she stroked his cheek, feeling a little reluctant of letting him go.

"You are sure you can handle things here while I'm gone?"

"Positive. I might even have some fun destroying things."

He pulled her close and looked down darkly at her before kissing her passionately. After pulling away, "Don't have too much fun. Save some for me."

She giggled darkly and watched him leave through the portal. Then she turned to the monitors, "Hmm, now what is this? Two mice that have gotten out their cages? We'll see how long they run around in this maze before this hungry cat catches them."

A cruel smile spread over her features as she sauntered out the control room and headed towards the dungeon, he black dress catching in the breeze of the castle.

------

The Emperor tumbled out of the computer and landed hard in Ken's apartment. He was still wearing his regal outfit as he left the door open and made his way to his old home.

"I wander if they will recognize me. They should, after all I am their only son." He thought as he made his way down the road, glaring hungrily at people as he passed them, as if he wished to gut them there and then. As he walked, each step brought a new idea to add to his plan, until finally he had reached the familiar block of flats and looked up before entering the large gray building. When he reached the door to his old home, he politely knocked on the door and waited. On cue Mrs. Ichijouji opened the door with a friendly grin that soon faded when she took in the person standing at her door. She frowned at him and was too busy studying his familiar face to ask him what he wanted. There was no need anyway, because the Emperor casually leaned against the doorframe with a wicked grin on his face.

"Hello mom." And before she could reply, he punched her in the face, knocking her to the floor, while he stepped over her to let himself in.

------

"So that's the plan." Daemon concluded after pacing back and forth for the past few minutes.

"So instead of storming the base, we go there acting like we wish to join them." Ladydevimon confirmed.

"That's right. While you act as a distraction, we will sneak into the base and find Ken."

"And Mae!" Gennai glowered at the Dark Lord Digimon.

"And Mae." Sighed Daemon.

"What if they see through us and she kills us anyway?" Devimon questioned.

"Somehow I doubt she will." Gennai stated, "And even if the Sorceress does suspect you're up to something, she'll keep you in her line of vision to find out what you're up to before she kills you. She's curious."

"That really instills confidence, thanks Gennai." Devimon chirped in sarcastically.

"Anytime." He shot back.

"Right, let's go." Daemon moved towards the path of the base.

"What? Now?" Davis asked.

"When would you prefer? When your friend is dead and gone?"

Davis gritted his teeth and pushed down the urge to hit Daemon. They all formed a line behind him and started to follow.

------

"You're sure you know where we're going right?" Ken asked after a few minutes of walking down the cold maze of stairs and passages.

"I'm sure." She sighed.

"Just checking."

A few more minutes passed before them as they made their way up the dark corridor to hopefully an exit. Ken was thinking hard and he hesitated to say what was on his mind.

"What is it?" Mae asked suddenly.

Even without her power of telepathy, she could still read him and his mind.

"Would, I mean, would you, you know, miss me if I died?" he looked at his feet while he walked, not wanting to make eye contact with her.

She stopped and looked at him a little dumbstruck, "Ken, of course I would! I-" she cut herself short, not wanting to finish the thought.

"Wouldn't a new Digidestined of Kindness come along that you would have to look after? I mean, we're just like your chores, or job…"

"No, you're not. You're much, much more to me, us than that, Ken." Her eyes fell to the floor, where she would not have to look at him. There was something more she wanted to tell him, but couldn't find the words, which was lucky because she figured it was better if he didn't know what was on her mind right now. All she knew was that she could not loose Ken…she wouldn't survive it.

They resumed walking silently, a heavy emotion now pushing them down.

When Ken stopped abruptly Mae asked, "What is it?"

Ken paused, his eyes narrowed, his brow furrowed. He looked up at her slowly, "The Emperor. He's with my parents."

She made a vehement movement, "How do you know?"

"I can sense it…it's weird."

Mae's emerald eyes glanced up and down the passage; "The control room with all the monitors in it is just down that corridor and to the left, run quick and use a port to get home. I'll tell the others where you are as soon as I get out of here."

"You sure you'll be fine? Why don't you come with me?"

"It'll take too long, and the others will wonder what happened to us. Now go!"

Ken nodded and began to make his way to the control room, while Mae continued to make her way to the exit.

She had been walking for only a few minutes when she felt someone watching her.

"Well, at least I still have one mouse to play with." A silky voice echoed off the walls, making Mae jump and turn to see her worst fear. The Sorceress put her hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side.

"Now I wander what nasty little thing I should do to you first."

Mae stood frozen, her mind racing. A strange thought came to her and she glanced down at her finger. A small cut made from the shard of dark ring was clearly visible by the crimson liquid trying to ooze out from it. She frowned; knowing that when she cut herself like this usually it took less than a few minutes to heal. There was nothing to the cut, and it would not have been an issue for her, if she didn't know that that is how her body healed itself. It had been almost a half-hour since she cut herself and the wound should have been nothing more than a faint scar by now. With all this knowledge she deduced that she was now mortal, and knowing that, she knew she could die.

A horrible sinking feeling hit her stomach and her heart beat sped up three fold.

------

"So, mom, dad," the Emperor began, pacing up and down in front of his parents, who were bound to chairs and gagged, "I take it you still haven't figured out who I am yet. Well, doesn't surprise me, I always knew you were fools."

He bent down to look into his mothers' face, "I! Am your son. Well, half of him anyway. I'm the sick, sadistic, evil side of your dear sweet child prodigy, Ken Ichijouji! The side you thought your innocent little boy never had. Well take a good look at me, 'cause I'm gonna tell you all about myself."

Mr. Ichijouji made a muffled attempt at disbelief.

"What's that insect? You don't believe me? Well how's this for proof?"

With those words spoken, the Emperor shifted and his clothes changed to the usual gray uniform of which Ken used to wear when he was in school. His hair relaxed into the new style Ken cut his hair in (slightly longer than chin length, but off his shoulders), the only difference between the two halves, was their eyes. This Ken's eyes were cold and dark, while the kinder side of Ken had innocent, warm eyes.

Mrs. Ichijouji gasped at the sight of this young man in front of her. The Emperor was about to say something when a crash was heard from Ken's old room and the door flung open, to reveal Ken.

"Leave them alone!" he yelled.

"I don't think I will, thanks." And the Emperor proceeded to toss a ball of energy at Ken, which hit him in the chest. Ken, already weak fell to the ground, while for some reason, the Emperor screamed out in pain and clutched his chest. Angered he picked up Ken's feet and dragged him to a chair and began to tie him up.

------

"We're almost there." Daemon stated.

Yolei looked at Davis's face; "Do you think he's okay?"

Davis didn't dare look at Ken's girlfriends' face. He knew if he did, he would break down in front of her and right now he had to be strong not only for her, Ken and the rest of the team, but for himself too.

"I know he is, Yolei, Ken's strong, he'll put up a fight."

Yolei nodded to herself, not at all comforted by what Davis had just told her, because like him self, she knew that he was only saying that to make her feel better. Kari put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her, and Yolei smiled gratefully.

Davis's mind had drifted off somewhere else entirely. To the day when Ken had bought a gold diamond ring. It was simple but stunningly beautiful. The stone wasn't huge and flashy, but just big enough to sparkle in the light. He was beaming and glowing as much as the ring was when he showed it to Davis.

__

"I have it all planned," Ken began, "I'm going to take her to her favorite restaurant. Since I know the chef, he has agreed to help me out. He's going to put the ring in her favorite desert, Chocolate Moose. She loves desert. Then she'll find the ring and I'll propose. I can't wait to see her face! Do you think she'll like the ring?"

Davis smiled widely at his best friend; "She'll love it. I'm so happy for you guys Ken!"

"Thanks." And Ken proceeded to hide the little velvet box in the back of his draw.

'I just hope you live to see that day Ken.' Davis thought to himself.

------

"Sorceress." Mae breathed, and before any rational thoughts hit her, she turned around and ran. She ran for her life down that long dark corridor, up a flight of stairs and along another corridor, which was brightly, lit, to a room that was evidently her alter egos' bedroom. She ran to the window and looked down. It was rather high up but not high enough to kill her if she jumped.

The Sorceress sprinted after her and into her room. She spotted her by the window and smirked, "You wouldn't dare jump."

"Oh really?" Mae said lowly.

"No, 'cause I'll kill you before you get the chance!" and she threw a large black ball of energy at Mae.

Mae leaped from the window, but not before getting hit in the small of her back by the dark magick. She screamed a piercing cry before she landed hard on her front and lay there in a mass of pain before she passed out.

------

Pacing back and forth in front of the Ichijouji family, the Emperor had removed the gags from Mr. and Mrs. Ichijouji so they could be the right audience and gasp in all the right places. But he had left Ken's on, so he could not defend himself.

"Okay Ken, where do you think I should start?" He smirked and looked directly at his parents, "Ah, yes, lets start with Osamu's death. You're gonna love this mama and papa, 'cause I'm the one who killed your favorite son!"

Their eyes widened as tears filled Ken's and he shook his head desperately.

------

"We are so sorry to do this to you, but it is the only way to save him." The three 'people' stated to the young man in front of them, "He is willing to give up his life but there is much for him to do. You of all people should understand and you are the only person who can convince him."

"I understand."

The young woman of the Light Masters smiled down at the youth, "Thank you Osamu."

------

(A/N)

Okay, I've decided to add the chapters together because they were so irritatingly short! I can't get over how short I used to write the chapters. Anyway, this means the story (chapter wise) will be cut in half. This isn't such a bad thing because I realized that I'm going away on holiday soon and wouldn't be able to put out a chapter every Sunday. So this in mind, I might be putting up a chapter twice a week, so check back every now and then to see if I have.

Oh yes, I should add I've gone back and fixed a small problem with the other chapters. I forgot to change the title of the story in the second, third and fourth chapters. This story used to be called, "Sins of the Past", but later I changed it to "Two Faces, One Mask". I can't believe I forgot to change that!


	6. Things unknown

"Two Faces, One Mask"

6. 'Things unknown'

"Life is something set to music

I can hear it when I'm sad.

There's a chord in every muscle,

Every kiss you ever had.

There's a power when you're near me

In our heads or in our bones.

I know nothing, but I'm guessing

When we die we're not alone."

'Not only human' Heather Nova

"Did you guys hear that?" TK questioned with a deep frown on his face.

"Yeah." Muttered Veemon, "It sounded like it came from that direction." The little blue Digimon pointed ahead and just to the left of them.

Gennai took off running, yelling behind him, "That sounded like Mae screaming!"

The group followed the Guardian, running past Daemon and coming to a clearing, in which a large white castle stood and Mae lay, bleeding on the ground, unmoving. Gennai dropped to his knees, panicked and bent down, so his face was inches from hers.

"Please," he whispered, "please be alive."

To his utter amazement she stirred, but did not regain consciousness.

Kari gasped and her hand flew to her mouth.

"What happened to her Gennai?" Gatomon asked, while coming closer to the two.

"I can answer that." A seductive voice called from behind them. She stood tall, her jet-black dress billowing gently in the breeze, exposing her long, slender legs a little and playing with her long red auburn hair. Her ruby red lips stretched into a grin as she sauntered over to her fallen counterpart.

Gennai was on his feet and without thinking, or considering that she was, though however powerful or evil she may be, a woman, grabbed her by the neck and pulled her to his face.

He growled, "What the hell did you do to her?"

Easily breaking free from Gennai's grasp, she never stopped grinning, and never took her eyes off Gennai. She licked her lips seductively and raised her eyebrow, while scratching his chin with one of her long crimson fingernails.

"You know Gennai, I can tell why she loves you so. You're strong and quite powerful, not to mention," she let her other hand run down his back and rest on his buttocks, "you have the nicest ass I have ever seen."

Enraged, and feeling a little violated, he thrust his hand forward and knocked her back. Caught off guard, she fell to the dusty ground. In an instant she was back on her feet and almost as angry as Gennai. No one rejected the Sorceress.

"Get out of my sight your filthy goody-two-shoes! And take your good-for-nothing lover with you! She'll die soon enough anyway and I have no need for you."

"What about us?" Ladydevimon emerged from the Forrest along with Devimon towering over her.

"What about you?" she spat.

"We wish to join your side." Ladydevimon hid the fact that she was slightly insulted by the question.

The Sorceress's deep green orbs bore into the two standing in front of her. They had forgotten one major power that their former master and creator possessed, that being telepathy.

She hissed at them, "You wish to act as spies for Daemon, nothing more and I have no need for untrustworthy slaves!"

In seconds, the two powerful Digimon were reduced to nothing but data that dispersed on the wind.

"Fools." She muttered.

The group looked to each other, taken aback by the sudden destruction of her own Digimon. She had simply hovered a blue flame in the palm of her hand, added some of the digimon's essence and added that to the flame. As the flame turned to red, the digimon had been destroyed. It was as simple as that.

"We should get out of here." Cody urged quietly.

"That's a really good idea." Hawkmon agreed.

"We can't go yet!" Yolei protested, "We haven't got Ken back yet!"

"They're right Yolei," Gennai stated sadly, "we should go now, before we are all destroyed."

Davis and Yolei exchanged looks and finally nodded in agreement.

The Sorceress, who had not taken her eyes off the entrance of the forest the whole time, suddenly called out; "You can come out now Daemon."

The large Dark Lord Digimon stepped guiltily out the lush foliage. It was a mark as to just how powerful the Sorceress was. Even a powerful digimon such as Daemon cowered at her very presence.

"What do you want?" she growled.

"Ken. That is all I wish."

She rolled her eyes and waved her hand.

"He's in the real world, he escaped a few minutes ago. Something about the Emperor going after his parents. I heard Mae thinking about it before I blew her out of the window."

The group glanced at each other again and without a word ran to the nearest television set they could find. The Sorceress obviously couldn't be bothered going after them. They were clearly not important enough for her efforts, which if they had time to think about it, was something to worry about.

------

"Oh yes, you had no idea did you?"

The Emperor stood tall in front of his 'parents'.

"You made me feel like nothing! Like I wasn't even alive! No, you loved Osamu more than you ever loved me! I hated you for it and I hated him for it too! I was a kind and gentle person, but that wasn't enough for you, was it? I had to be some kind of super genius for you to notice me!"

Mrs. Ichijouji interrupted him with tears in her eyes, "Ken, we're-"

"Shut up! I'm not done here, and you will call me Master!" he hit her across the face, making both Ken and his father fight against their bonds.

"I wished for him to be gone! And it happened! I was all you had left, but it still wasn't good enough for you. You still didn't see me there right in front of you. So I became him for you! This is me mama and papa! Your creation! You're perfect child! But I became too smart for anyone here and you didn't love me the way parents should. I was just some kind of medal to you, bringing you glory and fame. So I left! I ran away from you! And do you know where I went?"

He turned to Ken with a smirk. This was it, this was what Ken had been dreading. He was about to tell his own parents his deepest shame; his acts as the Emperor in the Digital world.

The Emperor turned back and began speaking to his parents.

"I went to the Digital world. And this is what I became. This is who I was."

He morphed back into his Emperor outfit, complete with Osamu's hairstyle and the visors that hid his cold eyes.

"Take a good long look at the most evil thing in the Digital world."

Mrs. Ichijouji gasped again and sobbed, "Osamu?"

"No, Mama! Not Osamu! Ken! This is your youngest and only son, Ken Ichijouji! Get that through your thick skull you fool! You should have seen me in that world. I was fantastic. You would have been proud papa." He mocked his father with his patronizing tone. "I put up evil control spires and captured so many slaves to do all my dirty work for me. I drained them of any energy they had. Beat them, kicked them, whipped them, even forced them to fight each other, all for my personal pleasure."

A sick sadistic grin came to his features at the sweet memories. "I even killed some. Not to mention Wormmon. Foolish insect gave up his life to 'save' me. He apparently loved me for who I was, even though _this_ was who I was! Not like you! I had to be someone else for you to love me. I hate you. Do you hear me? I HATE YOU!"

Ken fought harder against his bonds and tried to chew threw his gag.

"What's that Ken? Have something to add?"

The Emperor ripped the piece of cloth from Ken's mouth.

"You do have feelings." Ken said as calmly as he could.

"Of course I do! Who told you that I didn't? Mind you, the only feelings I have are hate, anger, and cruelty."

"You're not completely evil." Ken breathed.

"Ha! Hate to break it to you Kenny-boy, but I am."

"No, I don't think you are. If you feel sad and unloved, you can't be all that bad."

"Wanna test that theory?" He growled as he grabbed a knife from the counter and held it at his mother's throat.

"DON'T!" Ken screamed, "Okay! Fine! You're evil, you proved a point, now let them go."

A cruel smirk came to the corner of Emperor's mouth, "You know I love seeing you sweat."

He pressed a bit harder on the flesh, the cold steal pressing to the skin.

"Stop!"

"Ken, you don't have to do this!" His father yelled, "We're sorry for how we made you feel, we've been through this. We were wrong-"

"Shut up old man!" the Emperor growled and backhanded him; "I don't want to hear it. You don't know pain. You don't know suffering. You have no idea what it's like to exist only to be forced to not exist. You created me, Ken created me and the Dark Spore created me! But all this time, I've been forced to hide away from the world, like I was dead! It's your turn to feel that!"

He moved back to his mother and pressed down harder on his mother's flesh and to the horror of Ken and his father, was about to slit her throat.

A tall figure slightly older than Ken, with Spiked violet hair and gold rimmed glasses, grabbed the Emperor's hand and twisted it back, forcing him to drop the knife.

Ken, Mr. Ichijouji, Mrs. Ichijouji and the Emperor looked at the figure, shocked.

"You." Hissed the Emperor.

"Me." Osamu replied flippantly and punched the Emperor in the face.

-------

"How is she?" Davis asked Gennai as they got to a port.

Gennai forced down tears, "I don't - I don't think she's going to…"

Davis dropped his head to his chest, Yolei was looking very solemn, but anxious to go. Gennai seemed to pick up on this.

"Go." He told them, "I'll stay with her. You need to find Ken before Daemon does."

Kari nodded wordlessly and they were sucked through the portal to the real world, to Ken and Yolei's apartment.

------

Gennai stroked back Mae's short brown hair. She was cold and very pale; a slight fever caused a sweat on her brow. Looking down on her, he began to cry. She was dying and would be gone from him forever in a matter of seconds. There was nothing he could do. She was mortal now and not even his powers could heal her. She, ironically was the healer. What would he do without her? She had been there for years with him. Centuries. And now he would be alone for the rest of his long life.

Blood stained the earth she lay on and he lifted her up onto his lap, like a rag doll. Blood trickled from her mouth and her chest that had been rising and lowering ever so slightly stopped rising and lowering all together. She was gone. His face changed to a red hue and his eyes swelled with tears that ran down his cheeks. His shoulders shook with his sobs and he held her close to him.

"I love you." He whispered to her as she slowly disappeared into data.

She would never hear those words, for elsewhere she was lying, in the position she had died in, bathed in a white spotlight. Before the still form was a court of three 'people' in white; one female and two male. They spoke as one.

"Mae."

The girl before them, a bloody mess of her former self did not stir.

"Mae." They repeated, and this time she did stir. Her eyes fluttered open very slowly and she lay there, a bit dazed and confused.

"Mae." The woman only said, in her young but mature voice.

Mae turned her head to look at the three looking down on her. She swallowed with what seemed to be some difficulty and very slowly, very painfully sat up. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, as if trying to make the room stop spinning. She opened them again, and in a choked voice asked, "What happened?"

"You died." They all informed her as one. "You were mortal and the Sorceress killed you."

"Then why am I here? Shouldn't I be in the place of rest?"

"We brought you here, Mae. It was not your time."

"I don't have a time. I do not die, not under normal circumstances."

"No you do not. But now you have the option."

"Option?" Mae was beginning to get her strength back and her old fiery self was showing in her voice.

"You have the option to chose weather or not you wish to stay dead or go back. We understand how much you hated being immortal, we also understand that there were many reasons for you to stay alive."

Mae choked a little and got to her feet. She was no longer in pain.

"Gennai." She breathed.

"Among others."

"I should go back."

"For who Mae? For you? Or for him?"

"I love Gennai and he-"

"That was not of whom we spoke."

"Then who-?" but she didn't need them to say it aloud, for they had read her mind. However they still spoke his name.

"Ken Ichijouji."

"Ken?" Mae mumbled, she looked up at the three, "You're wrong!"

"You deny your love for him?"

"I love Ken like a Guardian should. My feelings for him run no deeper."

Only the woman spoke now, "Your feelings for him are not wrong Mae. They are understandable. You two are connected, you share a bond, it was only a matter of time when you would finally realize you love him like a lover would."

Mae huffed and ground her teeth in anger. Anger with her self for letting her feelings go this far. Ken belonged to another and so did she. Who was she to step between Yolei and Ken's happiness as well as break Gennai's heart? Gennai, but she still loved him too. Then what was this confusion she felt? Why did she feel the way she did for Ken when she still loved Gennai?

She looked up at them again, "Why do I feel this way? It is wrong! He could never love me!"

The young woman smiled with her pale lips, "Love is never wrong. It is love only. And if you could still read Ken's thoughts, you would see that you are not the only one who is having these feelings and thoughts of confusion."

Mae frowned and tried to decipher what exactly the Light Master had just told her. Could it be that Ken indeed did feel this way for her?

------

The Emperor lay motionless on the carpet by Mr. Ichijouji's feet. Ken was vaguely aware of the throbbing pain he was feeling in his right eye while he stared up at his brother. Osamu was looking down at Ken's alter ego, massaging his fist, "Guess I'm stronger than I thought."

"'Samu," Ken choked out.

He spun to start untying his brother and then moved over to his parents.

"Sorry Kenny-boy, my timing could have been better, but the Light Masters only just called me from paradise."

"Osamu? Is that really you?" his mother asked with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Once finished untying the Ichijouji family, he stood a pace backwards and bowed his head.

"Yes mama, it's me."

"How…?" his father was peering at Osamu unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Well," he turned his head to look at Ken for a moment, "after the prophecy with Ebonwumon, I was free to move on, and the Light Masters let me go the realm of paradise where I became who I would have been if I had not died."

Ken bowed his head in shame.

"I guess I'm around the age of twenty-three, I think. They called on me again to help you Ken. They said that you are dy-"

"I'm fine Osamu!" he quickly interjected.

His parents had already just found out all the horrible things he had done in his youth, all his worst secrets that he had purposely kept from them, he did not want them knowing that he was dying as well.

"I don't believe it!" Mrs. Ichijouji gasped and ran forward to hug her oldest son; "I don't believe it." She sobbed into his shoulder.

Mr. Ichijouji joined in the hug and choked back his sobs, "Son. My son is back."

Osamu broke apart from them, "Not forever. I'm just here to help Ken."

Ken was sitting in a chair in the corner looking away from his family.

"Why?" Mrs. Ichijouji asked, "Is he in some kind of danger? Is it something to do with the Digital world?"

"Well, he-"

Ken stood up quickly, "Osamu, could I see you in our old room for a minute?"

He blinked at his brother and nodded, but Mr. Ichijouji held Osamu back by putting out his arm.

"Now wait just a minute. If you are in some kind of trouble Ken, I think we should know about it."

"Please papa, this is none on your concern." Ken urged.

"None on my concern? Ken you're my son! Of course this is my concern!"

"It's complicated and I don't want you to get involved…"

"Just like you didn't involve us in your life all those years ago?"

He bore into his son's eyes, and Ken wanted nothing more than to look away, "Ken, you've kept so much from us. So many secrets, and this is how we had to find out." He pointed down to the still form of the Emperor, "How are we going to find out about this one? When you're in hospital, or worse, dead?"

"Stop it!" Ken yelled, "You wanna know what's going on? I'm not even sure what's going on! But Daemon wants revenge on me, my soul has been split in two and I'm dying!"

Ken shouted this with tears in his eyes, tears of frustration and shame, "I'm dying and I don't even know if I care."

He fell into the chair again and held his head in his hands.

"And that's why I'm here." Osamu said mildly, "To help you discover why you must live Ken."

Their mother rushed over to Ken and put a warm hand on his back, "Oh Ken…I'm so sorry, I'm so…"

Ken got up abruptly, "No I'm the one who should be sorry. Sorry for keeping all that from you, but I was just so ashamed of myself and I thought if you knew what I did, you…you would hate me."

"Ken," his father started, "we could never hate you, no matter what you did."

Ken stared at them all and quietly moved to his room where Osamu followed.

The violet haired young man closed the door behind him. Ken's room was almost just how he had left it. He stood quietly under his bunk bed and waited for his brother's speech. But none came.

"They know." Ken finally said quietly.

"I know." Osamu answered from his place at the door. "And it's okay."

"No, it's not." Ken shook his head slowly, "How did things get so mixed up Osamu?"

"You're only one person Ken, not perfect and doing the best you can. You love Yolei and she loves you. You have Davis and mama and papa not to mention Wormmon. Ken you can't give up. There are too many people who love you and need you. Besides, without you, the Digital world would suffer."

"I never asked for this."

"And do you think I asked for this?"

Osamu spread his arms wide to show himself clearly. "We have a destiny Ken, and while we might not like where we are at one point in our lives, we have to deal with it and move on, 'cause sooner or later we will get our reward for sticking with it. I've seen your future Ken, and it's bright and warm, you're happy, truly happy! I'm not supposed to tell you this, but you need to know Ken, because I saw a warped version of what the future could be without you. Yolei? She never gets over you, never. And she finds every jerk she possibly could and ends up killed by one who was a drunk. Davis? He becomes a bitter old man, who rejects any friendship offered to him. Why? Because he's afraid of letting anyone get close because he's afraid something bad will happen and he or she will leave. He loses all his faith in everything. The others are never the same, they lost hope and faith in both worlds, thinking that no matter how hard or much you try to make things right, it's pointless 'cause eventually you will lose, so why bother?"

"Stop lying to me!" Ken yelled, "They would never think like that!"

"Really Ken? You'd be surprised."

"Well I-"Ken broke off to turn to the sliding door at his balcony, a frown etched on his face.

"What?"

"I heard something." He walked cautiously to the door and opened it. He looked left and right but nothing was there. He turned back to Osamu, "Where's the Emperor?"

Osamu's eyes widened and he quickly flung open the door and rushed to the living room where his parents stood contemplating the Emperor still on the floor.

Ken turned quickly and regretted it. He swayed on the spot and felt his vision go blurry. He sat down on his chair at his deck and waited for the dizzy spell to end. A wave of nausea hit him and he slowly rose to his feet again. He walked to the living room and looked down at the Emperor.

"He's faking it."

Osamu looked at him, "Are you sure? How do you know?"

"I just do."

He bent down next to the Emperor's ear and whispered in a low growl, "Get up."

The Emperor turned his head and smiled sadistically at Ken as he rose to his feet. He morphed his clothes and they changed into the exact outfit Ken was wearing. The two were identical, expect the Emperor's eyes were somewhat cold and hard. The Emperor swayed a bit as well and frowned at Ken as he put a hand on the wall to steady himself.

"We need to talk." Ken stated.

"About what?" he scoffed, "How you're going to stop me before I can achieve taking over the Digital world?"

"No about you dying." Ken was very blunt with him. As far as he was concerned there was nothing he'd like more than to see him die, but he needed him, as much as he hated to admit it.

"You're going to kill me? That's rich Kenny-boy."

Osamu scowled at him and snatched his wrist and yanked it hard, "Listen to him." He snarled.

"We are both dying. One half of the soul can't live without the other, within this week, we'll be dead if we don't join up again."

"Well then make sure it's a good week Ken, 'cause there's no way in hell I'm joining up with you again."

"Are you sure about-" Ken was cut off by a figure who had just stepped into the living room.

He was tall and robed in a crimson cloak, with evil eyes glinting in a dark hood.

"Just the men I was looking for." Daemon sneered.

------

"Drive faster Yolei!" Davis moaned.

"Davis! Stop being a back seat driver! We won't be able to help Ken if we're dead!" Kari yelled.

He huffed and sat back in his seat. "Fine."

Yolei swerved the car around a corner and parked in front of the gray Tamachi building. They poured out of the white car and headed for the elevator.  
Wormmon was in Yolei's arms, praying to him self, "Please oh, please let Ken be okay."

------

"He is in love with Yolei." Mae pleaded with them.

Things would be so much simpler if he did not return her feelings. She could easily move on and be happy with Gennai.

"As you are in love with the Guardian. You're hearts yearn for something else."

"But in the prophecy, when the Sorceress and Emperor were to consummate, it was wrong, they would bring great darkness. Why is it now right for Ken and I to be…"

"Understand, that the Emperor and Sorceress were not in love, they felt lust for each other and their bond was nothing but a selfish desire. Your love for Ken and his love for you is a spiritual connection. Now Mae, Guardian of the Crest of Kindness, do you wish to go back?"

"I-I, do not know."

------

Miles into the Digital world desert thousands of Digimon were working hard on an odd shaped building. It matched the sand and rocks of its canyon surroundings, except for the parts that were metal. The Sorceress stood on a cliff, her black dress billowing in the wind, and smiled, "I think the Emperor will be very pleased with his welcome home gift. It's almost exactly the same as his old base."

------

(A/N)

Okay, sorry I didn't get a chapter out last week, I was really busy with studying and no one read or reviewed the last chapter anyway, but apparently FFN was down anyway, so that would explain it. Anyway, I have some bad news. I'm going away for five weeks and I can't take my laptop with me, which bites big time. That means, I won't be able to update for five weeks. I'm so sorry to make you wait, but I hope you'll think it was worth it.

I do remember you KOI Seracus, I really appreciated your review because you had some criticism that I could work with in order to improve my writing. I am very aware of their speech now, so I hope I've improved it. Thank you.


	7. Leaving

"Two Faces, One Mask"

7. 'Leaving'

"And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand.

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am.

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming

Or the moment of truth in your lies,

When everything feels like the movies

And you bleed just to know you're alive."

'Iris' Goo Goo Dolls

"Daemon." Ken hissed, his blue eyes narrowed to slits.

"Ichijouji." Daemon's rough voice rumbled, echoing Ken's detest, "Come with me quietly and I'll make sure you die quickly."

"Now wait just a minute!" Mr. Ichijouji yelled, but Osamu held him back before he could go any closer to the Dark Lord digimon in the middle of their living room.

"Stay out of this papa." Osamu begged, "He'll kill you."

"I don't care! That's my son he's threatening!"

Daemon turned to consider Ken's father, his glowing red eyes boring into him. "Hmm, foolish mortal, you would willing give your life to save your son's? It would be in vain, I would kill him anyway."

Osamu held back his father again as he lunged at the large Digimon.

A loud bang carried from the front door as the remainder of the Digidestined and their digimon poured into the apartment. They stopped abruptly at the sight of Daemon.

"Ken!" Davis shouted, "Run! Get out of here! We'll slow him down!"

Ken contemplated the idea, but he remembered the last time they had come up against Daemon. They had tried every attack they had and after all their efforts, it took Ken opening the portal to the Dark Ocean to seal him away. The whole reason Ken was in this mess in the first place. As Ken reached into his pocket for his D-3, he realized he was shaking and his forehead was feeling clammy. He was far too weak to open that portal again so he would have to take Davis's advice and run for it. But he did not under any circumstances want to leave the love of his life as well as his best friend's, in danger.

He shook his head indicating to Davis that he was going nowhere and suddenly a strong feeling inside him rose to the surface. He had being vaguely aware of it for the past half-hour, but he had only just registered what it was now. In all the chaos going on around him, he had felt a part of him self vanish, or die.

Wormmon bounded over to Ken and as if shaking him from his thoughts, the little digimon looked up and asked, "Should I digivolve?"

Ken nodded with a smile at his partner and Stingmon rushed toward Daemon.

"Get the fight outside Stingmon!" Ken yelled.

Ken, as well as everyone else knew that Stingmon could really do no damage to the powerful digimon, but it was more of a plan to keep him at bay while they thought of a plan.

Meanwhile the Emperor was inching his way toward the front door, but Ken tackled him and they tumbled into Ken's bedroom. The other chosen rushed to the door and could not determine which was the tyrant and which was their best friend. Tossing back and forth punches to each other's face; it was an odd sight indeed. Their fight took them to the balcony, where they where pressed up against the railing, now standing dangerously close to the edge.

Yolei's eyes grew wide and she covered them with her hands, unable to watch anymore, for fear of what she might see.

With one well placed uppercut one of the counterparts of Ken went hurtling to the asphalt below. The Digidestined gasped, shocked at what they had just seen. The Ichijouji on the balcony fell to his knees and was panting. His body was racked with pain, but it was nothing like the pain his counter part would soon be feeling. He prepared himself for it, for he had figured it out. They were, in some strange way still connected. He felt what the Emperor felt and the Emperor felt what Ken felt. But the pain did not come and Ken slowly rose to his feet, with the aid of Davis. They all looked over the balcony railing to see that Daemon had caught the Emperor and was going through a purple and black portal in the road with him in his arms.

Wormmon hobbled into the room, looking defeated, "I'm sorry Ken, I couldn't stop him."

Ken, bent over, nodded his head to show he had heard Wormmon, but didn't have the strength to say anything.

"He took the Emperor." Cody pointed out; "Do you think he meant to?"

"No." TK stated, "He made a mistake, he thought that that was Ken."

Osamu and his parents rushed into the room and stood quietly as they watched the Digidestined discuss what had just happened.

"Doesn't matter." Ken stated quietly applying pressure to his bleeding lip.

"How come?" Davis asked.

"What ever he does to the Emperor, I'll feel."

"You're still connected?" Kari gasped.

Ken nodded his head slightly. His eyes stayed glued to his feet; "I need to speak to Mae. Where is she?"

He noticed there was a strange heartiness to his voice when he mentioned Mae.

There was a strong silence where no one dared to speak and tell Ken what had become of his Guardian. However it was Davis who was brave enough and kind enough to tell him.

"Uh, Ken, she, well, there was an attack with her and the Sorceress and well, the Sorceress…the Sorceress, um…killed her. I'm so sorry Ken."

Ken's head slowly lifted so he could look Davis in the eye. Davis wished Ken hadn't done that, because the pain in them was unbearable.

"But," Ken swallowed, "She can't die. She's immortal."

"We think that gift, along with her powers was given to the Sorceress, leaving her mortal." Kari said quietly, rubbing her arm.

Ken turned to the railing to lean on it and closed his eyes slowly. He ran one hand through his long blue/black hair and exhaled. He had known. That was what that feeling had been and now that feeling seemed to be swelling at a rapid rate.

"Ken," Yolei had finally decided to speak. She rested a hand on his shoulder and said quietly, "Lets take you back home and we'll figure out what to do about getting you back with the Emperor."

Dumbly, Ken nodded his head and found his feet moving on autopilot towards Yolei's car.

------

Daemon grumbled as he dumped the Emperor, who was now in his royal attire, on the floor of his home. A little surprised, the Emperor looked around at where Daemon resided when he was not locked away in the hell dimension of the Dark Ocean. It was a roomy palace, but because it seemed so dark, with no windows, he was guessing it was underground somewhere possibly in a cave. He did not know the way to it of course, because he had entered it with Daemon through the portal. The entrance hall where the dark half of Ken lay consisted of dark, granite floor and walls, with a red carpet leading up a staircase of the same granite stone. The walls held long gold torches with flames flickering at the top by the holders. A chill ran over him, even though it was actually quite warm within the palace.

Only when he finished taking in the living quarters of Daemon, did he notice the Dark Lord digimon was standing over him, grumbling or growling to himself. Defiantly, the Emperor looked up at those glowing red eyes beneath the dark hood.

"You are not Ken." He stated angrily, but more to himself than to the Emperor.

"You're quick on the mark." He mumbled sarcastically.

In a flash Daemon had lifted the Emperor up off his feet by his neck and was holding him a few inches from Daemon's face.

"Do not mock me boy or you will be looking at a life time of torment that I'm sure the Dark Masters would be glad to give you."

Daemon dropped him again and he landed in a heap on the hard floor.

Slightly shaken, though not really afraid, the spiky haired young man rubbed his neck and grimaced at Daemon.

"No matter." Daemon continued as if there had been no interruption, "This works out better really."

"Why is that?" the Emperor asked bitterly.

"Because fool, wherever you are, Ken will follow. He needs you and he'll come looking for you. In the mean time I can torture you, to lead him here. Because," he looked down on the Emperor with a glare from his eyes, "the Dark Masters informed me of something very interesting…whatever I do to you, Ken will feel."

With narrowed eyes the Emperor got to his feet and quicker than Daemon could anticipate, he shot forth strings of blue lightening from his fingertips, striking Daemon right in the chest. As Daemon began to scream in agony, he turned and ran for the nearest door. That he noticed was made of wood and with one, well-aimed energy ball it shattered into splinters. Finding him self outside, which seemed indeed to be some sort of cave like area he ran straight ahead of him, flat out.

See unlike Ken, he was sure he wanted to live, he had many plans and many things to do and many people to get revenge on. He knew that if push came to shove, Daemon would kill him as well as Ken. Then it occurred to him. If he can feel Ken's pain, and Ken can feel his pain, would the same be in death? Would one die if the other did?

He didn't have time to think of this now, he needed to get away from Daemon, but he had no idea where he was going. But just as he saw a glimmer of hope, a literal light at the end of the tunnel, something yanked him backwards. Daemon had grabbed his cape that had been flying behind him. He stumbled backwards and fell. Cursing under his breath as Daemon dragged him behind, making his way back towards the palace, he fumbled to find the catch on the cape, but he realized that his hands were shaking and his fingers would not co-operate. Daemon tossed him into a room, which was as big as four broom closets. It had nothing in it, no bed, no chair, nothing but cold and possibly damp walls and floor. Though the damp could have just been the extreme coldness of the granite. He heard Daemon shut the door and lock it. After he had left, the Emperor looked around.

He was trapped, in a tiny cage, and he realized that this is how his slaves must have felt. Something twinged inside him and he looked down at his feet as he slid down the wall to sit up against it. He pulled off his glasses and tossed them aside and whispered to him self, "I hate my existence."

------

Davis and TK led Ken toward the bedroom of his and Yolei's apartment. He didn't really need them to hold him up, he was strong enough, but they insisted after he gagged and felt a sharp pain in his neck on the way there. TK left the room and closed the door behind him so Davis could talk to Ken alone.

"Ken," he began, "It will be okay. You just, you just have to be strong and we'll get through it."

"He's right you know." Osamu had materialized in the room.

Ken did not flinch but Davis did jump back in alarm.

"Dude, do you think you could warn me before you do that?" Davis looked back to Ken, who was sitting on the corner of the bed staring ahead of him.

He took a deep breath and said, "I'll be okay, I just need some time to be alone."

Davis and Osamu nodded and Davis added before heading out the door, "We'll think of a plan and then let you know."

He closed the door, and left Wormmon and Ken alone in the dim room.

After a few minutes the door creaked open again and Yolei who looked as though she had been crying, but had quickly brushed the tears away in effort for him not to notice looked at him. She opened the door wide and stepped in, looking very awkward indeed. She kept looking at him and then her feet, or anywhere but his eyes. She shuffled her feet and shifted from foot to foot.

He looked up at her with a deep frown and asked, "What's wrong Yolei?"

She hesitated and seemed to be at war with herself. However, she had come to a decision and the words tumbled from her mouth before she could wrap her tongue around them first, "I'mleavingyouI'msorry."

His brow furrowed more, "What?"

She took a deep breath and made sure her eyes were not connected with his, "I'm leaving you, I'm sorry." She said slowly and sincerely.

He blinked a few times, not able to swallow this bit of information. His brain had seemed to have jammed and he stood up slowly and stepped closer to her, "What? Why?"

Tears had started to crawl down her cheeks again and she looked at the floor when she spoke, "I can't do this anymore Ken. I can't see you suffer anymore. It's killing me. And I know this is selfish and the worst timing ever, but I won't be able to live if I see you die Ken. And I'll blame myself if you do. I'm not strong like you Ken, I can't keep watching you go through this. Maybe I'm not the one for you after all. Ken stepped back and his brain seemed to stagger on this.

"Yolei," he begun, but realized he had no come back to that.

"I'm going to stay with my parents for a while until I can find my own apartment and-"

"Why are you doing this?" Ken choked.

"I told you…"

"You said you're not strong like me, that you can't do this? How the hell do you think I feel Yolei? You think I like doing this? You think I like suffering? You think-"

"Yes, Ken I do!" she didn't shout, but the words rang in his ears. "I think you like the suffering. Pain, suffering, anger, it all seems to find you Ken, and you think you're better than you were all those years ago? You're not! You haven't even begun to heal or forgive yourself for everything that's happened. It's not all your fault Ken, so stop blaming yourself and brooding on the past! How on earth can we have a future if you keep living in the past? I love you Ken, I love you so much and all I want to do is make you happy, but all my efforts seem like shots in the dark. I can't make you happy unless you let me make you happy."

"I don't deserve to be happy Yolei!"

"Yes, yes you do! Why can' t you see that? You're a smart and kind and gentle and brilliant man, you just can't see it and it kills me everyday. I can't take it anymore. And now you don't even know if you want to live or die? God Ken! I'm obviously not that important to you if you don't realize that if you died, I would die or that you want to live for me."

"I do love you Yolei, but you don't understand. Things are messed up and complicated and everyday is a constant fight-"

"Maybe I would understand if you talked to me once in a while. Like you used to. But lately all it's been is that Goddamned computer program. Like you need the world's approval again, like you need someone to tell you that you're perfect again? I didn't want to believe you when I was inside your mind, but it's true, you do enjoy being the Emperor, 'cause at least with him, you could be free!"

"Shut up."

"No, Ken, I figured it out. You resent us. We tore off that Emperor suit and left you all exposed with much more guilt and pain than you could handle."

"Shut. Up."

"And you never really dealt with it did you? You just pushed it to the back of your mind and hoped it would go away. But it didn't and now all this is happening and you think it's your opportunity to escape!"

"SHUT UP!"

Yolei flinched and looked into his face. She had never seen him so angry.

"You have no idea what it's like Yolei, none! So don't stand there and tell me how I feel. I know how I feel, and I know that I haven't been so attentive to you lately."

"Ken, I'm sorry I said all those things-"

"No you're not. You wouldn't have said them if you didn't mean them, or thought them at least."

"I just-"

"Get out."

"What?"

"Leave. It's what you want isn't it?"

"Yes, no, I don't know."

"Just go."

"Ken-"

"Please."

Silently and without making eye contact, she made her way to the door.

"I'll be back later to get some of my stuff." And she closed the door behind her.

He waited for the sound of the front door to open and close before he went to his draw and picked up the little velvet box and collapsed to his knees. Tears fell over his lips and Wormmon came over and nudged his leg in sympathy. Ken picked up Wormmon into his arms and held him close as sobbing racked his body. "What have I done?"

------

Mae paced back and forth in the spotlight before the three 'people'. Their pure white cloths caused an aura to glow around them. The old man had his eyes fixed on her, while the younger male looked from Mae to his partners. The young woman was the only one who looked as though she understood Mae's dilemma.

She had two choices; go back to the realm of the Digital world and real world and be immortal again or move on to paradise. (The realm where all spirits went to when they crossed over and either stayed there for eternity or chose to go back and be reborn in order to work on their karma.) Mae of course would stay there if she did go. She had lived many centuries and was tired. Also, like Ken, she had a horrible past and had to live with her guilt all her life. She sighed and knew what she must do. Ken needed her, she sensed that he was in a lot of pain and so she looked up at the three Light Masters, her face set.

"I wish to go back."

"You must remember though, Guardian of Kindness, that until the spell is recited and you are joined with the Sorceress, you will be mortal. The road to going back will not be easy though and you will go through great suffering to test you. We hope you succeed Guardian, for the Sorceress is still at large."

After their three echoing voices stopped, they sent down a parchment on which a spell was written. She snatched it from the air and nodded. After a blinding light spread forth, she awoke at the base of a mountain.

She looked up at the snowy white peak as she picked herself up off the earth. She brushed off the dirt left behind on her jeans and winced at the pain in her back. Her blue jeans and black top were stained with red/brown blood that had dried hours ago. She wiped her mouth and looked at her hand, blood was streaked across it too.

She sighed heavily and shrugged, "I guess I have to climb you."

The base of the mountain was not so bad, the weather was fine and her bare feet were okay to walk over rocks and damp grass, however it was when she got a little higher that she began to feel the weight of her test. Her wound from the sorceress was beginning to hurt her and she was becoming cold, but she pressed on none-the-less.

------

Gennai rubbed his sleeve over his eyes and stood up. There was nothing he could do now. She was gone from him, the love of his life; the woman who had always being there was suddenly gone. Taken away from him as if someone had done a magic trick and caused his heart to vanish.

Numbly he turned and began to walk out of the forest with one main objective on his mind: to kill the sorceress. 

------

Ken turned the midnight blue velvet box over and over in his hands until it made him feel sick. Anger and sadness were building up inside him like a pressure cooker. As if in release of his pain, he threw the box at the door. It made a hard 'thud' and landed almost silently on the carpet below. He ran his fingers through his hair and left them there, bent double and examining his feet. He needed Mae right now, he needed her to comfort him and tell him it would be all right.

He looked up suddenly and frowned at his thoughts. Why would he think of Mae right now? Why would he think that he needed her now? And then the answer came to him; the answer he had been avoiding since Davis had told him Mae was dead. He loved her. He suddenly felt a large hole open up inside him. He wanted to mourn that feeling, that loss because he knew that a part of him self had died along with her.

He got up abruptly and wanted nothing more than to run, or destroy his room. He was feeling angry with Yolei for leaving him, especially at time like this. He also felt completely lost without her here, when he needed her too. He felt sad for losing Mae and confused about his feelings for her. All these feelings led to a chain reaction of more feelings that made him frustrated, until he screamed out in anger and punched his wall.

------

The Emperor sat against the cold stone wall and sighed to himself, dimly aware of a shooting pain in his right hand.

He had an odd sensation in the pit of his stomach. It felt like despair and it made him weak. He could have blasted the door open by now, but something in him told him that he didn't want to escape. That maybe he would be better off with Daemon and whatever he had in store for him. Living inside Ken's head was easier than this. At least there he understood the feelings he was feeling, or more correctly the feelings Ken was feeling. But now he had new emotions and feelings. He was used to the standard feelings of his day. Anger, bitterness, hate, cruelty. What was sadness? A pang hit him in the stomach. He did know sadness. He had felt it that day he had moved to the Digital world for good. He was sad for what reason? Because he was alone?

He ran his gloved hand through his spiked hair and sighed again. What did he care if he were alone? He was confused. And he noticed that he was very tired. He leaned his head back against the wall and heard someone at his feet. He looked up and saw an Elecmon quivering there, "Don't hurt me, please." It begged.

The Emperor narrowed his eyes and stated coldly, "I want to be alone. Go away." And with that, the digimon vanished from site and the door burst open.

"It's time for your torture Ichijouji."

The Emperor frowned in the direction the digimon had just been in and then looked up at Daemon.

He got up with the aid of Daemon yanking him to his feet. He mumbled under his breath, "Yes, my name is Ichijouji. Ken Ichijouji. The dark half. The side that carries the darker emotions. Hate, anger, desire, despair, sadness, loneliness…"

Daemon pulled him down a corridor towards the entrance hall and they stepped through a portal and ended up in the Server desert.

"This is where your torture will begin." He pointed to a large wooden poll, like a stake in the ground.

"Or my punishment." He breathed.

------

"So what is the plan?" Davis asked as they stepped into Kari's dorm room.

"Well, first things first, we need to track down the Emperor." TK stated.

"Well that's obvious," Gatomon started, "but we have no idea where Daemon might have taken him."

"But Ken should know." Everyone looked down at Cody who shrugged irritably, "Well, if Ken can feel him, maybe he can sense the Emperor too. It seems logical."

"He's got a point." Patamon chimed in from atop TK's head.

"Well, Ken needs a little breathing space right now." Davis informed them.

"Look, I understand that this is a really rough time on Ken, but we need him right now." Cody looked around at their faces and Davis turned to Kari.

"I'll call Yolei and tell her to get him ready for some Emperor hunting."

Kari looked extremely uncomfortable.

"What?" Davis asked her with narrowed eyes.

"She um, well, she's not at the apartment."

"Where is she then?" Veemon asked.

"At her parents house I imagine."

"Why?"

"Because she needs time to…because she left Ken."

Davis exploded, "WHAT?"

"Davis calm down-"

"Why the HELL would she do that and now for God's sake?"

"It's complicated and I swore I wouldn't tell you guys this much. She says she can't do this anymore. So we're one Digidestined down I'm afraid."

"Great." Davis growled, "Just great."

------

"I had a feeling you might be here."

The Sorceress spun to look at Gennai. She was torn between grinning wickedly at him or scowling, so she decided upon a neutral unreadable expression.

"If it isn't the great Guardian of the Digital world." Her tone was that of mockery, almost questioning his abilities to be Guardian of the Digital world. He let it slide, for now.

"It's time you came with me." He made to grab her wrist, but she pulled her arm away quickly.

"What makes you think I'll go without a fight?" she stepped backwards, her bare feet kicking up the caramel dirt.

Gennai glanced down at the Base that the digimon were working on and looked again into her face, "It's almost exactly the same."

"I thought it would please him."

The conversation was that of two normal people, with one great exception; these were not normal people and nor were they people at all. But the way, in which the Sorceress spoke showed that there was a spark there for Gennai to work with, a drop of humanity within the evil woman standing a few feet from him and the sadistic side of him wished to use it for his benefit.

"So you wish to please him now? I remember days where you pleased no one but yourself, Sorceress. You reveled in those days, but you were lonely were you not?"

Her eyes dropped to his feet, "I have him now and we will…"

"Rule the world? You won't get the chance."

She looked up at him grinning, "Who's going to stop me? You? Please!"

He wordlessly nodded, a cold glaze over his eyes.

To Gennai's surprise the woman with long auburn red hair and crimson red lips laughed.

His brow furrowed, "What's so funny?"

"Look at you, coming here all broody, wanting to exact revenge on the woman who killed your unfaithful lover."

His frown deepened, "Unfaithful?"

"Fool. You don't see it do you? She loved another!"

"You lie! She loves - loved me!"

"She loved Ichijouji!"

"No! You're just trying to distract me. I was wrong about you, I thought there was some tiny part of you that was still good, but like I said, I was wrong. You are evil."

She cocked her eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips, "I am evil. Personified. Can we get on with this now?"

She stood with her hands on her hips, her crimson fingers drumming with anticipation, and a smirk on her face, causing Gennai great irritation. He lashed out and a white beam pulsed from his palm and hit her in the gut. She flinched, but only just. She on the other hand did nothing of the sort. Instead she raced up to him in a flash and with a roundhouse kick to the face, sent him to the ground.

She was about to step on his face when he grabbed her ankle with lightning reflexes and pulled her to the dusty ground with him. He held her wrists behind her back, so she was unarmed and whispered in her ear from behind, "There is a way for me to defeat you. Would you like to know what it is?" his tone was frightfully sadistic and it shocked him, but he did not let it show.

With amazing strength, she stood up and flipped him over her head, causing him to land flat on his back in front of her. "How 'bout you show me later?" she mocked.

In a second, Gennai was back on his feet, standing in a fighting stance.

She ran forward and swiftly punched him in the face, then again with a left hook and as he stumbled backwards; she brought up her long slender leg and kicked his face. He dropped to the ground.

She stood over him, casting him in shadow and shielding his eyes from the strong sunlight behind her. He looked up at her with seething hate. It was then that he noticed that the sky was blue here. There was little destruction in this area, but the rest of the digital world was in ruin. Why was this area so important that it should be left untouched?

------

"Things have gotten out of hand." The young woman at the court stated, her vivid red lips pouting.

"Daemon cannot go on with his plan."

This time the three voices echoed in the empty space. The Dark Masters stood in the darkness together speaking and moving as one entity. Opposite them, like a chessboard, the Light Masters had gathered and stood in pure white light.

"This is your mess. You started this."

"You have seen what is to come of this situation. We were not granted that luxury in time to warn us."

The eldest Light Master frowned, "Nor were we! We receive the visions at precisely the same time as you do."

"This is not solving anything!" the woman on the Light Master's side yelled.

"She is right." The Dark woman stated tossing her long black hair over her shoulder irritably.

"We must stop Daemon. He cannot have the Spore." All three Light Masters concluded.

And the six beings stepped to the boarders of their space and shook hands with each opposite to them; the two women, the younger males and the eldest Masters.

A flash emanated from their hands and the area around them turned to gray.

------

(AN)

Okay guys I am so sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter! I was really busy when I got home and just didn't have the time to proofread and edit this chapter before I put it up, but here I am working into the early morning to get it up for you. I've been trying to keep in mind everything that has been commented on in reviews (thanks for them by the way) but in this chapter I found dialogue to be very important and if I added too much on scenery detail, it would have distracted from what was going on. But don't worry detail will happen in the next chapter.

To clarify, the idea of the mountain that Mae has to climb I got from Samurai Jack, the episode where he has to climb the mountain of Fatoom. I love that episode. I should also add that the idea of Ken being split in two I did not get from Samurai Jack (the episode with Mad Jack). Funny thing is, when I finally did see that episode I realized it was really similar to what I was doing.

Now to make up for making you wait so long for this chapter, I will try my hardest to get the next chapter out on Wednesday.


	8. My sold soul

"Two Faces, One Mask"

8. 'My sold soul'

"Take a breath and I try to draw from my spirits' well.  
Yet again you refuse to drink like a stubborn child.  
Lie to me,  
Convince me that I've been sick forever.  
And all of this,  
Will make sense when I get better.  
But I know the difference,  
Between myself and my reflection.  
I just can't help but to wonder,  
Which of us do you love.  
So I bleed,  
I bleed,  
And I breathe,  
I breathe no more."  
'Breathe no more' Evanescence

Ken yelled out as a white-hot pain shot through his neck. But it only lasted a second and all that remained was a dull throb.

He brought a hand up to the back of his neck and rubbed the spot. He scowled deeply and knew something was wrong in the world. He wasn't sure how, or what, but the Dark Spore was extremely sensitive to any change in the Digital world and Real world.

Ken heard someone knock at the door, and his train of thought was momentarily broken as he walked over to it, shaking and feeling unable to keep himself up. He opened it, still a little distracted with his pondering and saw Davis and the rest of the group, minus Yolei standing there.

Ken meant to step aside and let them in, but instead he felt all the blood drain from his face and his eyes rolled back into his head. Davis gasped and caught him before he hit the ground.

"Help me get him to the couch." Davis said quickly to TK.

The tall blond threw one of Ken's arms over his shoulder and helped Davis carry him to the light blue couch. They laid Ken down and Kari felt his head.

"He's burning up." She gasped.

Wormmon scuttled onto the couch and looked down at his friend, "It's like that day he first got infected with the Spore."

The group turned sharply to Wormmon and Davis asked, "What?"

As if on cue, the barer of the crest of Kindness yelled out in pain and began to shiver and shake.

"What do we do?" Davis asked desperately.

"We need Gennai or someone." Cody advised, "We should get him to the Digital world, maybe even to Mae's house. There might be some potions that could help him there." He added the last part with slight hesitance.

"Good idea Cody, I'll go open the portal." Kari yelled as she ran to the desk where the computer was.

Again Davis and TK carried Ken over to the computer and they were all deposited in the Digital world forest, a few miles from Mae's log cabin.

Then to everyone's amazement, Ken opened his eyes and dropped to his knees. He gasped a few times and he looked flushed, but at least he was conscious.

Davis dropped to his knees with his best friend, "Ken! Are you alright?"

Ken nodded and swallowed a couple of times, trying to catch his breath, "Where are we?"

"In the Digital world." Wormmon answered, "We thought that maybe some of Mae's potions might help heal you."

"No time for that." Ken muttered and got up.

TK and Davis were ready if he passed out again, but he seemed to be stronger now.

"We have to go to the Sever Desert." Ken said with urgency.

"Why, what's there?" Cody asked.

"The Emperor."

------

"Get up!" Daemon roared at the Emperor when he crumbled at his feet.

The darker side of Ken lifted his heavy head up enough to look Daemon in the eyes. Sweat beaded on his brow and he felt his body was racked with fever.

"I can't." he pleaded and collapsed again.

Impatient with the Emperor, Daemon reached down with his clawed hand, made a tight fist around the Emperor's cape and dragged him across the sand, under the hot sky of the desert.

The Emperor felt his vision go in and out of focus. He also felt the heat coming off the sand and burn him through his clothes.

Finally Daemon came to a stop and dropped the cape. Feeling considerably better, the Emperor slowly and shakily got to his feet, but he had to lean his hand upon the large wooden stake that he knew Daemon was going to tie him to.

In a flash Daemon had increased his size, standing as tall as the stake itself, which reached quiet high into the sky. He bent down to pick up the Emperor and held him against the poll. Then he proceeded to tie a rope around the Emperor from his chest to his knees. Satisfied with his work, he shrank again and laughed madly at the sight of the Emperor bound there helplessly.

He hung his head with shame, feeling like he deserved this and all he wanted was to disappear.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw a group of angry Digimon of various types, standing below the stake.

"Now Digimon Emperor!" a Gotsumon yelled, "Lets see how you like to suffer!"

------

The Sorceress licked her lips hungrily at Gennai, and before she could bring her foot down on his face, he grabbed her ankle and pulled her down again.

"Damn it!" she hissed.

Gennai quickly climbed on top of her and held her arms above her head.

She smirked, "Hmm, so you like it on top, do you?"

"Shut up." He growled and looked around himself again, "What's here?"

She frowned and suddenly shivered, as did Gennai.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Something's changed." He said absently. Then he brought his attention back to her, "What is here?"

"What are you talking about?" the Sorceress asked, an irritated tone to her voice.

"How come this area of the digital world is not in ruins like the rest of the places you have touched?"

"Oh," she began and even giggled a little, "Well, I needed this land, to re-create the Emperor's base. He is quite brilliant and I felt that the only way we could truly take over the Digital world as well as the real world was with that Base and so I advised him not to attack this area."

Gennai sighed with disappointment, "Pity, I thought there may have been something important here that you were trying to protect. I was going to use that as a bargaining chip, but now I'll have to revert to my original plan."

She frowned, "And what plan was that?" she giggled again, mocking him.

He pulled out a shard of dark ring that he had taken off Mae only moments before she had died and brought it to the Sorceress's neck.

"You wouldn't." she narrowed her eyes at him, but her voice was full of worry.

"Wouldn't I?" he said and before she could try to defend herself he rammed the shard into her gut. She screamed in pain and as he pulled it out again, the wound began to bleed, staining her dress.

Then he scooped her up into his arms and opened a portal to Mae's home.

------

"I can take you to the Sever Desert." Osamu said as he materialized in front of Ken and the others.

"No," Ken answered, "You should go find Gennai. Tell him where we are and that we might need his help, since…since we don't have Mae with us anymore."

Osamu nodded and looked at Ken closely, "Are you sure you'll be alright till then?"

Ken looked up at his brother with a pale face. Beads of sweat began to run down his face and his eyes looked drained and lifeless but he nodded determinedly at Osamu and added, "I can make it."

"If only we could Digivolve!" Gatomon growled, flicking her tail irritably, "Then we could fight and-"

"It wouldn't matter anyway Gatomon, even in your Ultimate forms, you're still no match to Daemon." TK said bluntly.

Kari nodded defeated, "Remember last time we faced him?"

Suddenly Ken spoke up. His voice was strained and quiet, but he was heard, "If push comes to shove, I think I'm going to have to open the gate to the Dark Ocean again."

Davis shook his head with his eyes wide, "Ken no! That's not an option now. In the current state you're in, opening that gate could kill you."

"What? Sooner than I was going to die anyway?" he snapped bitterly.

And then Davis did something he hadn't done in years; he hit Ken. Not in the face, but on the arm, "Dude Ken! You are not going to die! We are going to save you and then we'll think about dealing with Daemon."

Ken rubbed his arm where Davis had punched him and hung his head, muttering, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so negative."

A few seconds of uncomfortable silence rolled by before Osamu finally said, "I'll go find Gennai."

"Lets go." Cody said and began walking in the direction of the Sever Desert.

------

The Emperor shut his eyes tight and waited for the impact he knew was coming. As the rock attack impacted with his face he did not yell, but swallowed his punishment like a man, with dignity. He could already feel the welt forming on his cheek as it throbbed.

Then an Elecmon stood ready to attack him and sent out waves of electricity towards the young man on the wooden stake. He gritted his teeth together as the strong current passed through every nerve of his body, setting it on fire.

After the electricity had subsided, he looked down at the now blurry figures below him and waited for another attack, while Daemon laughed with enjoyment.

As various attacks came hurtling at his face and body, he shut his eyes and after a few more, he began to scream. The pain in his body had become so overpowering that he knew he would die if it did not stop soon. He could taste the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and felt a sticky liquid running down the side of his head. He knew that his ribs were bruised or even broken, for when he took in a breath, it stung and a sharp pain pierced his lungs. His visors had flown off his eyes a while ago, showing his bruised eyes to the digimon who wanted justice below. It didn't matter to him anymore. He was going to die, he knew it, he felt it. But there was something else he felt too. It was as if a part of him self was being completed. But he didn't understand this, for he knew he was only half now. He hung his head in defeat and waited for the final blow, giving up on any hope. Who would want to save him?

------

Gennai placed the Sorceress gently on Mae's bed and looked out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mae, but there was none and it made him feel foolish.

The Sorceress sat up gingerly; holding one hand over her wound that was slowly healing its self.

"You're a fool Gennai." She hissed, "You really think this silly wound would stop me?"

"Not stop you," Gennai said absently, "slow you down."

"Giving you borrowed time for what?" she asked harshly.

"I wanted to kill you, but then I realized that I need you to find and destroy Daemon."

She barked out a laugh and got up off the bed to stand by the door, "And what's stopping me from just leaving now? This little pain in my gut is almost healed and-"

In a flash, Gennai was in front of her, holding the shard up against her throat. He had a strange glint in his eye, but she seemed to ignore it, or challenge it.

"You wouldn't."

Gennai pressed it harder to her throat, cutting off some air to her windpipe, "Wouldn't I?"

"No, you wouldn't." she choked out, "Because I know that you love Mae and you wouldn't do anything to kill any part of her, even me."

It was Gennai's turn to laugh at her, "I am not going to kill you."

"I knew it."

"Because I can't kill you. You're immortal remember? You got that when you got her powers. So no matter what I do to you, no matter how much pain I inflict to your body, you will not die. I could slit your throat right now and in a few hours of discomfort, you'll be fine and then I'd just do it again. Chilling isn't it?"

She sneered at him and sat back down on the bed.

"You've changed Gennai." Then she added with a giggled, "I like it."

"I knew I'd find you here."

Gennai turned to see Osamu standing in the doorway looking rather distressed.

"Osamu! Where is-?"

"Headed towards the Sever Desert. Apparently Ken can sense that that's where Daemon has taken the Emperor and that's where we have to meet them."

Gennai looked down at the Sorceress, "That works well."

------

Ken fell to his knees and spat blood on the white sand. He coughed a few times again before wiping his mouth on his cream sleeve. Davis fell to his side and tried to look into his face, but Ken had contorted it into a ball of pain.

The young genius yelled out in pain again and clutched at his sides as he fell to the sand in a fetal position.

"He can't walk anymore!" Davis yelled out, "Veemon, you up to it?"

"Always!" the little blue digimon yelled enthusiastically and prepared to Digivolve to Raidramon.

"Digi-armor Energize!" Davis yelled and after the light had vanished, the strong digimon stood ready to carry Ken on his back.

Armadillomon looked up at Cody while they resumed walking on the hot sand, "Shouldn't we digivolve to carry you guys? It would be faster."

The wise young man shook his head, "No, we need you to conserve all the energy you can, so you can fight Daemon, if necessary." He looked at the horizon, "I just hope it doesn't come to that."

A few minutes passed where no one said anything, but kept focus on the path ahead of them. That is until Davis, who was walking at Raidramon's side shouted to the rest of the group, "I see something up ahead!"

Kari squinted and held her hand over her brow to shield the sun and sure enough there was something there. It was Gennai, Osamu and the Sorceress. But as she walked closer and the sand dune began to sink out of view, she noticed there was something else behind them. When she realized what it was she gasped and ran forward.

The rest of the group followed her lead and met up with Gennai and the others. Then they saw what she had seen and reacted in the same way.

Ken looked up and blanched. He had been here before; he had seen this vision before. But that was years ago and that was all it was, a vision. It wasn't real. He climbed off Raidramon and stumbled forward, staring at the sight in front of him.

It was identical. The sky had turned a swirling gray and under it was a long wooden stake, tied to it was the

Digimon Emperor and below it were angry digimon looking for revenge.

As he stepped forward again, he felt something under his foot. He looked down and noticed he had stood on the yellow and violet visors the Emperor always wore. He bent down and picked them up. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, "Are you okay?"

Ken turned to see Davis standing there with his brother next to him. He nodded dumbly and looked down at the visors again, when a sharp cry was heard from behind them.

All of them turned to see the Sorceress looking strained at the Emperor on the poll. She tried to run forward, but the wound in her side slowed her down and Gennai grabbed her.

"Let me go!" she yelled, struggling to get free, "I'll kill him! I'll kill Daemon for hurting him like that!"

In an instant, Daemon was in front of them, his eyes glowing wickedly.

"I wouldn't kill me if I were you, Sorceress."

"Why not?" she hissed.

Before anyone could register what was happening, a purple and black portal had opened up underneath Ken and the Emperor and they had slipped through the portals and vanished in a second.

"NO!" Everyone screamed and the Sorceress wrenched herself free from Gennai and ran at Daemon.

"See, if you kill me, you'll never find them." His low growl of a voice rang in their ears.

She gritted her teeth in anger and ran forward, sending waves of electricity through his body before Gennai and Osamu grabbed her arms and held them behind her.

She panted in their arms, defeated and hissed at Daemon, "I will find them, and when I do, you will be in so much pain, you'll be begging me to kill you."

Daemon was about to respond when the sky gave an earth-shaking roar. Everyone looked up and noticed the entire sky was a swirling gray colour and crimson clouds had formed over head.

Davis swallowed and asked nervously, "What's happening?"

"I don't know." Gennai confessed and then pulled his hands into fists. He looked down at them in a puzzled expression as if they had done that on their own, "But I think the powers of good and evil have shifted."

"Great," TK sighed, "in who's favor?"

------

Ken and the Emperor fell face forward onto the cold stone floor. They pressed their hands against the damp ground and slowly stood up. They turned to face each other and grimaced.

"Great," the Emperor growled, "of all the people I could be stuck with, it had to be you."

He coughed and grimaced as the pain in his ribs reminded him of his torture.

Ken folded his arms, "Well, I hate to break this to you, but I'm not exactly thrilled about this situation either." He turned and looked around, "Where are we anyway?"

"Daemon's dungeon. This is where he kept me before taking me to the desert."

Ken barked out a laugh, "You mean, someone took _you_ prisoner? That's priceless."

Without thinking, the Emperor flew at Ken and grabbed his throat and began to pummel his face, spilling out death threats while he beat his fist against Ken's cheekbones, ignoring the pain beginning to swell in his own face.

"Are you trying to kill us?" Ken yelled and threw the Emperor off him, sending him across the room.

The young tyrant hopped back onto his feet and charged Ken again, who met every punch, every blow and every kick with his own, each time blocking him from making contact. He stepped back and panted, feel incredibly drained.

Ken shook his head, not believing that the Emperor hadn't figured it out yet.

"You're me." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Liar!" he spat, "I'm nothing like you!"

"Exactly."

The Emperor frowned and leaned against the wall with folded arms. He raised his eyebrow, "I think I killed one too many brain cells Kenny-boy, 'cause you aren't making much sense."

Ken sat down on the floor and felt one of the fresh whelps on his face; "You're nothing like me because I created you to be like that. Like it or not, you are a part of me, a part of me that I created so I could handle all the pressure of living as someone else. I created you to harbor all my pain and all my hurt and all my hate. I didn't understand until a few hours ago. I thought you were just some monster living inside of me but when you took over and did those things, you did them for me. It was a way of getting rid of some of that pent up anger. I'm not saying that what you did was right, but I understand now why you did it, why I did it. I understand why you are there, now. You serve a purpose, whether I like it or not."

The dark Ichijouji stared at Ken for a long while, trying to digest what he had told him. Eventually he began to laugh and shake his head, "Now you come up with this revelation? Just when I was beginning to resurface in your life again!"

"I don't understand."

"Who do you think it was who was driving you to complete that project you were working on? Who was the one pushing Yolei away? Who was the one giving you all those ideas?"

"I was the one who was doing that." Ken said firmly.

"NO! That was me!"

"You ARE me!" Ken yelled, "We are the same person! Just different sides! You may have been thinking that you were becoming a stronger influence in my life, becoming dominant again and maybe you were, but now…now it's different, because I know. I know not to fight you anymore. I know that there is a difference between thinking of doing something negative or bad, and doing it. That's how we'll be able to work together, to become whole."

"How very touching." He remarked sarcastically. "Either way, I get squashed down inside you and denied to exist when I did all that for you."

"I'm sure you'll survive." Ken raised his eyebrow.

"Like I have a choice."

Ken grinned and stood up again, but instantly regretted it. As before, all the blood drained from his head and his world blurred around him. He leaned against the wall and began taking deep breaths.

"Are you okay?" the Emperor asked.

"I'm dying, what do you think?" he turned to his dark side, "How come you aren't getting weak?"

The Emperor sighed and hung his head, "I think I'm getting weak in a different way, in a mental way. I thought for a while back there I was going crazy."

"Hmm," Ken mused, "so I get the physical pain of it, and you get the psychological pain. Either way we are both dying." He turned to the door; "We should start looking for a way out of here."

The Emperor walked to the door and kicked it open, using his skills from Judo. He turned into a dark hallway lit only by torchlight and Ken followed. They ran along the corridor until they came to a wooden door with black hinges and a black handle. Cautiously Ken turned the handle and opened the door. He peered inside the room and found it covered in wall to wall monitors. On each screen was a scene of his friends, which he guessed must have been during his Emperor days.

"I'm guessing another one of Daemon's torture ideas." The darker side of Ken muttered.

He picked up one of the remotes and pressed the mute button.

It was a scene where Yolei was only twelve and she was looking at a magazine. She mentioned that it had an article of Ken in it.

His ears pricked up at the mention of his name and he listened attentively.

Davis had grabbed the magazine and had said something that make Ken's stomach sink a little, but what Yolei said made him feel a bit better, "He doesn't look capable of such things."

The Emperor pressed the mute button again and silenced the scene, then he turned to another monitor of the same time and pressed the volume button and immediately heard Davis say, "That guy's rotten to the core!"

Ken looked down ashamed, but started when all the other monitors began to play their scene, at full volume. In the babble Ken could pick out phrases like, "Evil genius," "Monster," "Rotten to the core." And when Ken listened hard, most of the time it was Davis's voice saying these things.

Something inside him snapped and he narrowed his eyes at Davis. "He judged me before he even knew me!

He didn't know anything about me and he just wanted to take me out! And then he pretends to be my friend just after he defeats me saying I'm not an evil person!"

"Kinda two-faced isn't it?" the Emperor's smug voice said at his side.

"Yeah, it really is." Ken growled and stormed out the room.

------

Mae shivered and exhaled heavily, a cloud of mist escaped her warm mouth and froze on the air around her. Her whole body was cold from exposure and every time she reached up to grab a rock on the edge of the mountain, her arms protested. That was nothing compared to how her hands burned with cold when she latched onto the frozen rocks and how her feet felt as though they were on fire from stepping in the snow.

She pulled herself up onto a type of landing and sat there for a moment. She wrapped her arms around her legs and tried to stop shivering. She tried to push away the pain in her wounds as well as her hands and feet. She felt herself become drowsy and forced herself to stand up again. She could not fall asleep. If she did, she would never wake.

Suddenly she felt an odd sensation in the pit of her stomach and she knew what it was. She could some how feel Ken dying. With that feeling, she looked up at the rocks she had to climb and pressed on.

When she had pulled her self up she paused for a moment to get her breath back but was met with a shadowy creature. It looked like a black skeleton with a shadow for a cape. Her first instinct was to throw out her hand in front of her and yell a spell, but no power pulsed from her palm and she gasped. "Idiot, you're mortal remember."

The dark creature lashed out at her and she only just had time to dive out the way. Her body was stiff and cold and protested violently with each move she made but she dashed forward and tried to roundhouse kick the creature in the face. Fighting in this manner was clearly not in her nature. The creature wrapped its long bony fingers around her ankle and flipped her onto her back. She landed with a hard 'wumf' in the thick snow and every inch of her body screamed in agony.

Not allowing her time to get up, it picked her up with surprising ease and threw her against the cliff face. With the impact on the cliff wall, snow fell and crashed on top of her.

Knowing that she could not fight this creature, and that she would have to escape it, she tunneled her way through the freezing snow until she was around the corner of the cliff and emerged, gasping for air. The creature was no where in site and so she forced her tired legs to run, but a sharp, burning pain oozed through her back as the creature's long sharp nails ripped into her flesh. She screamed out and to her fortune, an icicle fell from the roof of the cliff and crushed the creature.

She turned back to look at it and fell to her knees, breathing hard. Fresh blood began to soak her black top and she felt miserable inside. She shivered again and became aware of the fact that she could no longer feel her feet or fingers. Her eyelids became heavy and she so wanted to sleep, but she stood up again and began to climb the cliffs again, her focus, always on the peak of the mountain…and Ken.

------

"Hmm," Daemon mumbled, "I think that's my cue to leave." And on that note, he slipped through a portal and vanished in a second.

"NO!" Davis and the Sorceress yelled together.

Gennai growled in frustration, "Where did he go?"

"I can't sense him." She stated bluntly, "He goes somewhere where I can't feel him. That's why I can't find the Emperor either."

"Great." TK grumbled, "What now?"

"We should head back to Mae's house and regroup for a while. Something has happened to the powers and we should be ready for it." Gennai advised.

The group nodded and began to walk toward Mae's log cabin. Gennai restrained the Sorceress and moved her along.

TK noticed Kari rub her arms subconsciously.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

She turned to him and shook her head, "Something's happened to the balance TK. It's made me feel so empty inside."

Frowning, he held her close and put his arm around her shoulders, "It's going to be okay Kari, I promise."

"I hope so TK, I hope so."

------

Yolei entered her old room and closed the door behind her quietly. She sat down on her bed and pulled her pillow toward her chest and hugged it. She let out a choked sob and began to cry freely now. Poromon nuzzled against her but she lay down and curled up into a fetal position.

Her body shook with sobs and she tried to comprehend what she had just done. She had left the one man that she ever loved. It was as if she had killed off a part of her self. It burned and hurt so badly, so why had she done this to her self?

'I can't loose him.' She thought. 'If I do this, if I just let go of him, it won't hurt as bad if he dies.'

She bit her lip and tried not to sob anymore, but the tears kept flowing. Poromon hopped into her arms and asked her innocently, "Yolei, if breaking up with Ken hurts so much, why did you do it?"

"Because," she swallowed a sob, "I love him so much, so much that it scares me. I don't know what would happen if he died, so I want to not love him anymore, so it won't hurt as bad if he does."

"I don't understand Yolei." He confessed after thinking it over for a second or two.

"Me either." She choked out; "I'm just being stupid I guess."

------

"Do you know where we are going?" Ken asked the Emperor as they made a right turn.

"Not really no." he confessed.

"Great." Ken stopped suddenly and leaned against the wall. "Wait."

The Emperor turned quickly on his heel to face Ken, "What's wrong now?"

Ken began breathing deeply and felt his head swim for a moment. In a sickening lurch he felt his world spin until he retched and it stopped. With a shaking hand, he wiped his mouth and began walking again. "Let's go." He rasped.

The Emperor stared at him and began to catch up, "You're really not well are you?"

It was the first time Ken had heard compassion in his voice, even though it was his own.

Ken shook his head.

"How long?"

The indigo haired young man looked at the Emperor, "How long until what?"

"We die?"

Ken shrugged, "I don't know. But I don't think it's long now."

"I hate to admit this, but we need Mae. She's the only one who can heal us."

Ken continued to march ahead and kept his face as neutral as possible, "She's dead."

"What?" the Emperor gasped, "When, how?"

"A few hours ago and by the Sorceress."

The Emperor stopped walking and stared at Ken, who also stopped and turned to his dark side.

"We really are going to die aren't we?"

Ken nodded his head.

"How can you be so bland about it?" the Emperor yelled.

Ken shrugged, "Because I don't care anymore."

------

Mae reached up for another jutting rock and rooted her foot on a ledge just a few feet off the landing she had been on. Her arm shook with fatigue and she tried her hardest to grip the rock and pull her self up, but her body fought against it. She screwed her face up in determination but when her hand slipped, she fell backwards into the snow and lay there. She exhaled loudly, her breath freezing on the air again and closed her eyes. "I can't do it."

Her voice was only just audible over the howling wind.

Her body burned and ached everywhere, she was exhausted and freezing and her wounds felt as though they had been torn open again. She knew that if she fell asleep, she would not wake up again, but she didn't have the strength to carry on anymore.

'I'm sorry Ken.' She thought slowly and her eyes fell closed as she fell into unconsciousness.

------

(AN)

Sorry I didn't get a chapter out on Wednesday but with all the preparation going on for Christmas, there just wasn't time for me to edit and proofread the chapter. I'm sorry. If I can, I will try to get the next chapter out sooner. It's almost finished, so things are all coming to a close. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's one of my favorites, for some reason. You all know where the Emperor on the Stake thing came from, I wanted to use it because it would be very haunting for Ken. Mae and Mountain came from Samurai Jack as I've stated before, it was almost exactly the same. I give full credit there, but I just had to use it, it was very effective for this. However, the turn out for Mae will be different. (You'll only know what I'm talking about if you have watched that episode of Samurai Jack).

Anyway, I hope you all had a great Christmas/Yule and until next time…Blessed Be.


	9. Never leave me

"Two Faces, One Mask"

9. 'Never leave me'

"Lord make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

And where there is sadness, joy.

Oh divine Master grant that I may

Not so much seek to be consoled as to console,

To be understood as to understand,

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive-

And it's in pardoning that we are pardoned.

And it's in dying that we are born to eternal life,

Amen."

'Prayer of Saint Francis' sung by Sarah McLachlan

Mae felt the darkness envelope her until she felt as light as air, but there seemed to be a figure standing in the middle of all this blackness around her. So she squinted and stepped forward until the figure came into view.

"Osamu." She breathed.

He nodded at her, his face mournful.

"What's wrong Osamu?"

He looked up at her, "Have you forgotten Mae? Have you given up? Are you willing to let this happen?"

He threw his arm to the side to gesture behind him and as he did so, the darkness was replaced with a flash of colours and images. Images of Ken and the Emperor being killed by Daemon. Images of Gennai mourning Mae. Images of the digital world in ruins.

Her face contorted in shock and horror.

"No." she whispered, but the images filled her head and her ears and her eyes and cut at her.

"No!" she yelled, but they didn't stop.

"NO!" she screamed and fell to her knees looking up at Osamu. "I haven't forgotten. I will never forget! I will never leave them but Osamu, I am not strong. Help me. Help me get through this."

Osamu stepped forward and kneeled down so he could hug her.

"You can do this Mae. You have to."

She held back a sob and nodded. She stood up and felt slightly more aware of herself and felt very heavy. The darkness began to fade away and was replaced with a blinding white and Osamu disappeared.

Mae opened her eyes and suddenly became very aware of her body. It was burning with cold and she shivered with extreme effort. Her wounds felt as though someone was inserting white-hot needles in the very center of them. With intense effort, she sat up and then stood up. She swayed a little and then looked up. The peak was close, closer than it had seemed before.

She breathed and took a step forward, her feet sinking into the snow and she did not stop. She pulled herself up the cliff faces and pushed herself to the top.

Finally she was at the peak and she could see the sun peeking through the clouds near the other peaks of other mountains. She shivered again and could not stop herself from shaking but she had made it, her test was over with.

"HELP ME!"

She whipped her head to the right, where the desperate plea had come from and saw a hand gripping a rock. She made to run to aid the person, but to her left the same plea was heard.

"HELP ME!"

In front of her, Osamu appeared again and looked mournful once more.

She frowned desperately, "Osamu, help me. I need to…" she looked hard at him, "This is the test isn't it?"

He nodded, "You can only save one of them, there isn't enough time to save both. Who will you choose Mae? Ken or Gennai?"

------

"You don't care anymore?" the Emperor repeated.

"No, I don't." Ken confirmed.

"What about Yolei and marrying her? What about your friends and Wormmon?" he tried to reason.

Ken raised his eyebrow, "Yolei left me and Davis clearly seems to think I'm a lost cause and Wormmon…he'll survive without me. Maybe he could find Ryo and be his partner. God knows I wasn't the best partner for him."

The Emperor scoffed, "I can't believe I'm hearing this. What about me huh?"

Ken folded his arms, "What about you?"

"Don't you think I have feelings to? I have had to put up with all your pain for years, all your nightmares and self-loathing and you just forget about me. I'm part of you Ken, remember, you said it so yourself. I don't want to die. I don't want to give up. But because I'm just part of your psyche, I don't get a choice in the matter."

He leaned against the wall and slid down it to sit on the floor.

"Man, we are a mess aren't we?" Ken laughed emptily. "You're sitting on the floor feeling sorry for yourself and I'm losing my soul."

The Emperor looked up sharply, "Don't even joke about that. You have to hold on to something to keep you alive, to keep _us _alive."

Ken sighed and began walking again; "I'll try."

------

Gennai opened the door of Mae's log cabin and a ghostly sensation threatened to swallow him. He took a deep breath and proceeded to walk through the door, standing aside to let the others in. At this point the Sorceress wasn't even tempted to try and escape Gennai. She had seen something in him before they went to the desert and while it didn't frighten her, it still made her nervous. She knew that if he could find a way to kill her, he would. She stepped through the doorway and sat down on one of the couches. The rest followed.

All the digimon sat at the their respective partners' feet while they sat in silence. Wormmon whimpered quietly and sat by Davis.

Kari finally looked up at Gennai and asked, "What now Gennai? What do we do?"

The guardian sighed, "I don't know Kari, I'm sorry. The Light and Dark masters have done something to change the balance and I don't know what kind of effect it's going to have on the world. Since there's nothing we can do in that area, we'll concentrate on finding Ken."

Davis nodded as did the rest and they fell into silence again, knowing that they had no idea where Ken could be.

------

"What?" Mae asked bewildered.

"Who do you love Mae, or who do you need to save?" Osamu said quietly.

She opened her mouth to reply but no answer came out. Her eyes dropped to the white snow.

"I love them both." She admitted, "How could I choose one?"

She looked up sharply at Osamu with a defiant look; "I _will _save them both."

"You can try." He said sadly.

She ran to the left and looked down at Gennai, who was hanging on the cliff with one hand. It was a long way down and the fall would kill him before he hit the ground. She reached out to grab his free hand, but as she did so, the drop below him was replaced with images of Ken. As if someone was playing a movie on a white canvas behind Gennai.

She frowned and watched as Ken was covered in darkness. How the two worlds were consumed by evil, how Ken was literally broken in two and she retracted her hand with a sharp gasp. Her eyes widened.

She had to save Ken; it was her duty to save him more than anything else was.

She looked at Gennai, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but I have to do this."

She got to her feet, swayed a little from fatigue and ran to her right where Ken was hanging. She bent down and reached for his free hand but again, the background was replaced with images of Gennai and their life together. The first time Gennai saved her from the clutches of the Sorceress. How he fought against her banishment. The first time he kissed her.

She hesitated for a moment as tears filled her eyes and she looked back at where Gennai was.

She could hear him calling her and it was so hard for her to just turn her head back to Ken. She quickly reached out her hand toward Ken and with the tiny amount of strength she had left, pulled him up. She was weak and it took all her strength to heave him up. For a while she thought she wouldn't be able to do it. Her hands felt as though they were slipping but she closed her eyes and bit her lip and found the strength to pull him up. When she saw he was safe she sprinted as fast as she could to the other side of the peak and dived to the edge. She held out her hand and reached for Gennai but she was too late, he had already fallen.

"NO!" she screamed and it echoed for miles around.

With a blinding flash she was no longer on the mountain peak but in front of the Light masters again.

"Congratulations Mae, you have earned your right to go back." They said in union.

"Is Gennai dead?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

"No, it was only a test. We are sorry for putting you through that, but we needed to know why you wanted to go back. Your duty as a Guardian comes before anything in your life."

She nodded and looked up, "Are you going to send me back now?"

"Yes." The woman replied with a kind tone, "To your home."

"You have the spell to join yourself and the Sorceress again as well as Ken and the Emperor."

A piece of parchment appeared in her shaking hand and she nodded again.

For the first time she noticed the background of the area she was standing in was no longer white but gray. She frowned and looked at them again, "What have you done?"

"What we had to do. We made a treaty with the Dark Masters for a brief time. Until all this is over."

"You'll regret it." She said darkly.

With another blinding flash, she was in her bedroom of her log cabin. Again, she was intensely aware of her body, her wounds, her fatigue and how terribly cold she was. She sat down on her bed and shivered uncontrollably. She forced herself to stand because of the way her eyes were drooping closed. She moved to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. She hardly recognized herself. Her left eye was shadowed with a blue/purple bruise. Her bottom lip was split and swollen. Scratches, scrapes and various other bruises were scattered over her face and neck. Her hair was wet and stringy with a few patches of dry blood. She looked down at her hands and saw that they were blue and reddish brown.

She gingerly pulled off her black top. It stung as the dried blood pulled at her raw flesh when she lifted it off her back. She dropped the top on the floor and then stepped out of her soaking jeans. Her legs, like the rest of her body, were bruised and covered with patches of dry blood.

She turned on the hot tap of her shower and put her hand under the jet of water. Steam soon filled the bathroom and she stepped under the shower. The hot water, in comparison with her low temperature was painful and it felt as though needles were stabbing her skin, but she endured it. Her raw wounds protested loudly at the water but she endured that too.

She ran her hands over her hair and closed her eyes while the hot water ran over her stinging face.

When she finally felt warm and the hot water began to run cold, she turned off the taps and dried herself.

She wrapped the white towel around herself and stepped over her stained clothes and into her bedroom. She remembered that she had no clothes due to the fact that she had always dressed herself with her powers. The power of the wish in the Digital world and the power to materialize her thoughts in the real world.

She sighed and went to pick up her wet clothes. As she removed the white towel from her body, she dropped it to the floor and saw that it was stained with patches of blood. She opened one of her cabinets and pulled out some soft bandages. After gently dressing her wounds she pushed the towel away with her foot. Then regretfully, she began to put her wet, blood soaked clothes back on. When she was dressed went to the living area of her house, where she stopped dead to find the Digidestined, Gennai and her dark side sitting in silence.

Gatomon was the first to notice her, "Mae!" she gasped.

Everyone turned to look at the doorway and all their mouths dropped open.

Gennai sprang up and ran to her. He wrapped his arms around her but when she yelped in pain he released her and stepped back.

"Sorry, I'm just sore."

He nodded, "You were dead Mae, how did you…?"

"The Light Masters gave me a second chance but not before putting me through a dangerous test."

She looked over his shoulder at the Sorceress, "How did you make her stay?"

"It's a long story, but right now, I think you should not waste anytime in getting back together with her."

She nodded and pulled out the piece of parchment from her pocket.

"What once was whole

But now is half

Complete the soul.

What once was light

And once was dark

Be black and white

And gray.

Be still of heart

Be still of mouth

Let evil die this night.

Be strong of spirit

Be strong of mind

Let evil flee from sight."

Without meaning, or wanting to, the Sorceress stood up, walked towards Mae and became transparent. Both of them glowed and the Sorceress walked into Mae. Once the light died away, Mae stood standing in her Emerald Guardian dress.

She slowly walked over to the couch and sat down.

"Mae!" TK exclaimed looking at her bruised face, "Are you all right?"

"I am now, or I will be TK." She sighed, "I just need to heal."

She looked around, "Where is Ken?"

------

"Where are we?" Ken mumbled as he looked left and right. They seemed to be in a never-ending maze of dark corridors.

"No, stop it! I don't want you to fight each other!"

Ken spun round to look at the Emperor.

He frowned and asked, "What did you say?"

But the Emperor didn't hear him and kept looking down at the floor, "Stop it!" he shouted.

Ken raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly the Emperor looked up and straight through Ken. His eyes widened with terror and he flung his arms up in front of his face to shield himself from something.

"NO! How can you turn on your master! Please! I created you!"

But the ghostly Chimeramon did not stop his attack on the Emperor and soon Ken figured out what he must be seeing.

Ken ran forward and smacked the Emperor; "It's not real. You're just imagining it."

Panting, the Emperor looked up and around him self and then at Ken, "Thank you." He said sheepishly.

"No problem." He turned around again, "Now, can you tell me where we are?"

"I don't know." He confessed.

To their horror, a purple and black pool opened up in front of them, and Daemon appeared.

"You have been a thorn in my side long enough. I think I'll skip the torture I had in mind for you and go straight to the finale."

In a second Daemon had Ken's neck in his grip and Ken screamed out in agony as he felt the Dark Spore being activated like never before. 

Ken knew his eyes were open, he could feel them stretched wide in horror, but all he could see was black. All he could taste was bitter darkness. All he could feel was dreaded, undiluted evil. He vaguely registered the Emperor scream out in pain before his own agony devoured him like a star that had gone supernova and was now being sucked into its own black hole.

He suddenly had an odd sensation of leaving his body, though he was still very aware of the pain and evil surging through it, over it and out of it. Something was terribly wrong, he knew that much and he felt as though he was losing grip on himself. He tried to hold on as hard as he could but he could feel himself ebbing away. The darkness was replacing him. It had manifested into something real, something that one could touch and it was using his body to do this.

------

"And that's all of it?" Mae asked, after they had all explained where Ken was.

They nodded and she sighed and hung her head.

"Mae," Gennai began, "you should be able to sense him, shouldn't you?"

She looked up at him; "I can, but just barely. Not just that, but there's something…" she glanced out the window and her mouth fell open, "…wrong."

Everyone looked out the window to see what she was looking at and they leapt to their feet.

"What is that?" Davis questioned desperately.

Just on the horizon, black ooze was crawling over the digital world, destroying everything it touched.

Gennai and Mae looked at each other and then yelled, "RUN!" to everyone in the room.

"We should digivolve," Patamon began, "we'll be faster."

"No time!" Gennai barked, "Just run!"

Without another word, the Digidestined picked up their Digimon and sprinted out the log cabin and into the woods where they continued to run.

"Where exactly are we running to?" TK panted.

"To Daemon's headquarters." Mae yelled behind her.

"Why don't you just open a portal and take us there?" Wormmon asked.

"I've already tried. I can't do it for some reason. He must have protection over it."

"What is that stuff?" Armadillomon questioned when glancing back at the black tentacles rolling over the land.

"It's pure evil. You think the D-Reaper was bad? That was nothing compared to this. This is even what the Dark Masters fear." Mae informed them.

"Why would they fear something evil like themselves? Wouldn't they be happy about it?" Kari panted.

But before Mae could answer her, they all ran suddenly into thick fog. When they stopped however, they were no longer in the Digital world but in a different area completely.

"Where are we?" TK asked, his voice echoing off the walls, or more correctly, the surrounding gray.

"In a sanctuary." Three echoing voices filled the air around them.

"More correctly, limbo." A solemn tone followed.

Osamu walked out of the fog and as he came into perspective, the fog melted away.

Everyone except Mae and Gennai looked around and saw that they were in a gray area with no walls or floor or sky from what they could tell. Yet they were standing on something solid and there was a horizon. It was as if they were suspended in mid air.

"We have brought you here so you would be safe." The three voices called again and the Three Light Masters came into focus behind Osamu.

Mae spun to face them and looked desperate. "That was pure darkness flooding the Digital world!"

"Yes it was." They said in union.

"How?" she cried.

"Daemon."

"The Dark Spore." Gennai breathed and Mae felt her stomach sink.

"He's using Ken to channel the evil." She gasped.

"He must be stopped." Another three voices echoed through the area and they all turned to see the three Dark Masters.

"Hang on!" Davis blurted out, in true Davis style, "Isn't this what you want?"

"Dear foolish child." The woman taunted and Davis growled.

"Who you calling a child?"

"We do not wish for the destruction of all worlds. If that were what we desired, we would have done it in the very beginning. Our purpose is the same as the Light Masters'; to bring about balance. Without light there cannot be shadow. We did not foresee Daemon's plans to use the Dark Spore. If he is left to carry on flooding the worlds with darkness, he will destroy them and himself. We are sure he is unaware of this."

"That is why you made a truce?" Mae asked.

"We need your help." The Light Masters chorused.

"What can we do?" Gatomon asked eagerly.

"You must get to Daemon and stop him. You were correct Mae; there is a barrier of dark magick surrounding his home. We will lift it in order for you to create a portal and enter into his fortress. There is not much time, so you must hurry. Ken is holding on, but he cannot hold on for much longer and if the darkness replaces him, there will be nothing left. You know what you must do Mae. We are truly sorry."

Mae looked up at the light masters, her emerald eyes glowing with power and tears. She nodded and turned to the group.

"Stand close to me."

"Do it now." The Light Masters ordered and she nodded and held out her hand. White light emanated from her palm and tore through the fabric of space and time. Swirling colour swam in the hole before her and she turned to Gennai.

"Go first." He nodded and the others followed him. She was the last to step in.

They looked around themselves. The walls were cold and black; no light was visible, even though there were torches on the walls. Kari shuddered and went deathly pale. TK turned to her, as did Gatomon. The blond put an arm around her shoulders and tried to comfort her, but it seemed there was little comfort to offer.

"Mae…" Davis choked.

She did not look at him.

"What were the Light Masters talking about? When they said you know what you have to do?"

Still she refused to look at him and was silent. He opened his mouth to demand an answer but he saw Gennai take her hand in his as they walked side by side. Something in the way that Gennai did this told Davis that Mae was about to do the hardest thing in her life. His stomach seemed to vanish and his heart began to beat unnaturally fast.

'No.' he thought, 'He can't die. He can't. It's not right, it's not fair! There must be another way!'

They burst into a deathly room and saw nothing but black. However when they looked closer they saw the oozing black coming from five directions from high above them. They all gasped when they saw Ken suspended in air, black ooze coming from his head, arms and legs, like a star. His eyes were wide open, but pitch black. Kari tore her eyes away from the horrific sight and looked to the corner. She ran to the Emperors' aid.

Mae wasted no time,

"What once was whole

But now is half

Complete the soul.

What once was light

And once was dark

Be black and white

And Gray.

Be still of heart

Be still of mouth

Let evil die this night.

Be strong of spirit

Be strong of mind

Let evil flee from sight!"

The Emperor glowed white and flew like a ghost to his other half. Ken bonded with the Emperor but the ooze kept flowing.

"Why didn't it stop?" Davis asked desperately.

"Because I am still alive." Daemon informed them from the shadows.

Mae, radiating with rage and power wasted no time and no words on Daemon but rather, ignited the blue flame in the palm of her hand and drifted his essence over it. He yelled out in horror, as the flame turned bright red. In a burst of data, Daemon was no more but Ken continued to hang in the air like a morbid doll.

------

"Ken!"

The voice seemed far away but so familiar.

"KEN!"

Somewhere in the distant reaches of his mind he felt a grip on reality.

"Emperor?" he said weakly.

"Ken! Where are you?"

"Here…somewhere. Am I still in my body? I can't feel it? I can't feel anything. I don't know where I am."

"Can you feel me? Mae joined us together again."

"No. All I can feel is the evil. It hurts Emperor."

"Ken, I don't want to say this, but it's the only way. You have to let go. You have to give up. You can't fight this. Let go and the worlds will live." The Emperor pleaded.

A long silence followed.

"Ken?"

"I already did let go." He said sadly. "I let go quite some time ago. I thought I was dead. Maybe I am and this is hell."

"No Ken, you're not dead. I would know."

"I want to die Emperor! Why can't I die? I want it to end, I don't want to suffer anymore, not like this…but maybe this is hell and this is my punishment…"

"NO! It's Mae!"

"What?"

"She's keeping you alive!"

------

Mae stared up at Ken. Her whole body was shaking. She barely felt Gennai put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"There's no other way Mae." He whispered but the effort of saying it was draining on him and he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"I can't." she stated softly, "Gennai, I can't let him die. I love him."

He looked up at her and she broke away from him, "I love him! He is a part of me, I can't let him go!"

"Mae…" Davis walked forward slowly and it seemed it was taking all his strength to speak, "Mae, you have to. You have to let him go. For the worlds…and for him. He's suffered enough Mae, don't make him suffer anymore than he has to."

Tears formed in his brown eyes but he blinked them back and looked pleadingly at Mae.

She stared at Ken's best friend and suddenly fell to her knees where she dissolved into tears.

"I love him." She sobbed into her hands.

Gennai bent down next to her, "I know you do. I know you've always loved him, how could you not? He is a part of you and you are a part of him. But Mae, listen to what he is telling you, he wants to go. Let him."

She choked on sobs and felt her whole body relax and become limp. It was as if all life had been drained from her and she could not move.

Suddenly Ken fell to the floor below and all the darkness stopped flowing from him. He muttered one word, "Yolei."

------

Yolei sat up on her bed as if someone had slapped her face and stared around. She clutched her chest, where her heart was and gasped, "Ken!"

She got up off the bed and grabbed her D-3 and ran to her computer.

"Yolei, what's wrong?" Poromon asked innocently.

"How could I have been so stupid!" she cried as she picked up her Digimon and was sucked into the port. However instead of landing in the Digital world, she was in a white area.

"KEN!" she yelled desperately.

"He is gone, Child." Three voices informed her.

She spun around, "Gone? What do you mean gone?"

"He's dead." She looked to her left and saw Osamu standing there with a somber expression.

"No." she whispered, "NO! You're lying!"

"We are not."

"He can't be dead." She sobbed desperately, "I love him!"

"Love cannot raise the dead."

"But you can!" she yelled, "Bring him back!"

"We cannot."

"Cannot or will not?" she barked, "You brought Osamu back! You can bring him back!"

"Osamu is not alive, not really. Besides, it was Osamu's choice to come back and help his brother. We do not know if Ken wishes to come back."

"I wish him back!" she cried, "He wants to be with me, I know he does!" she kneeled down before them, "Please, bring him back, please."

They regarded her for a moment and glanced at Osamu before looking at her again, "There maybe something you can do Yolei, to save him, but there is not much time. He has already being dead for a few minutes."

She looked up, tears shining on her face, "Anything!"

------

The Digidestined, their Digimon, Gennai and Mae stood around Ken's body. There were no words, only tears that fell through disbelieving eyes. Wormmon had scuttled over to his partner and best friend and curled up on Ken's chest. Mae was kneeling by his head. She shook with sobs as she brought a hand over his wide, lifeless eyes and closed them forever. As she finished doing this, she collapsed into fresh tears and loud sobs.

"I failed him."

"No, you didn't Mae." Gennai whispered, "You did just the opposite. You proved your love for him."

She held her hands over her face and tried to stop herself from crying more as her body ached with each sob. She felt as though her heart was empty, that there was a large hole inside her where Ken used to be.

She was not the only one. Davis had dropped to his knees as well, unable to take the weight of his best friends' death. Pearly tears shamelessly rolled down his cheeks. He held his head in his hands while the others looked down at their lifeless friend and had no words of comfort. He was dead. He was gone. It didn't seem real. It didn't seem fair. He was young, he was just starting life. He had so much more to give, a whole lifetime of it. It was surreal how years of friendship could be taken away in a mere second.

Yolei seemed to be looking at the group through a two-way mirror. She felt the female Light Master stand next to her. Yolei turned her tear-stained face to the 'woman'.

"I didn't want to believe it, but…I have to. What can I do?"

"We will stop time for a short period while you take our test. If you succeed time will start again and you will be able to save him, if you fail, nothing changes and he will remain dead. Good luck." She said kindly and in that second, Yolei was transported to a cliff edge.

The wind whipped her hair against her face and tugged at her clothes. Then suddenly, she heard yells, desperate cries of someone needing to be saved. She ran to the edge to find Ken hanging on the edge, close to falling. She threw out a hand to help him but heard more cries behind her and then someone call, "Wait!"

Yolei turned to see the female Light Master standing in the middle of the plateau and another Ken was struggling on a cliff behind her.

She stood up and faced the Light Master.

"This is your test. There are three people hanging all around this plateau, you only have time to save one of them. There are two Ken's, one if fake, the other is real. The third person is the Emperor. You must choose whom you are going to save, but you must hurry, for as soon as I am gone, you will have thirty seconds to save one of them. If you choose the wrong Ken, you will have failed. Choose wisely." And with a howl of the wind, she vanished.

Yolei turned in every direction; she knew instantly what she must do. She knew it from the second the Light Master had explained the rules. She dashed to the edge and saw Ken hanging there, calling out to her desperately, but without hesitation, she turned her back on him and ran to where the others were hanging. She found the other Ken and the Emperor beside him. Instantly, she thrust her arm out to the Emperor and yelled, "Grab hold!"

The Emperor wasted no time in grasping her hand in a monkey grip. She struggled to pull him up but she managed and they fell back onto the ground. As they stood up and looked down, they saw Ken fall and then the ground beneath them.

She was once again, standing in the white area with the three Light Masters and they were smiling.

"We are proud of you." They said in union, "You truly are a child of Love and Sincerity. Tell us, how did you know to save the Emperor?"

Yolei flushed, "There wasn't time to compare the two Kens against each other, but you never said the Emperor was a fake. So I assumed that he was real too and that saving him would be the same as saving the real Ken, because after all, he is still Ken."

The woman smiled, "You assumed correct. You love everything about Ken and were willing to save the darker half of him, rather than let him die. You're love is self-less and unbiased."

"Thank you." She mumbled and looked at them imploringly, "Now can we save him?" feeling that that was rude, she added, "Please?"

They nodded, "Yes. We will give you the power and transport you there."

------

Silence racked the room, punctured only by the group's sobs. A light suddenly erupted from behind them but they seemed not to take notice of it. Only when Yolei walked forward did they look up. They saw that her face was tear-stained so she must somehow know.

Davis opened his mouth to say he was sorry, but found he couldn't utter the words and dropped his head again, feeling like he had failed both her and Ken. Kari put her hand on Yolei's shoulder for a second before the young woman continued her walk forward, toward Ken's body.

Mae was the last to look up. She was shaking with tears and could offer no comfort to Yolei. She looked away in shame but then back at Yolei again when the young woman kneeled over Ken.

Mae could clearly see something different about Yolei, while the others could not.

"How…?" she whispered.

They all watched Yolei as she leaned over Ken's still form and brushed his hair back. Then, gently, she placed her palm over his heart and a pink light glowed around her and then into Ken. She stayed like this for what seemed like over ten minutes, but in reality was little more than fifty seconds.

The light faded, sweat had formed on her brow and she fell forward, gasping for breath. Ken however did not stir. He showed no signs of life but Yolei seemed to be smiling. Mae looked at Yolei and then Ken and quickly felt Ken for a pulse. His heart was beating again!

"He's alive…" Yolei breathed, "But we'll have to get him to a hospital."

------

(AN)

So this is the second last chapter and the last one will be here next week. Now this is the reason this story took me two years to finish. It took me months to write this chapter alone. I kept editing it, rewriting it, changing it and then I finally settled for the way it turned out at the end of this chapter. But it by no means is over yet. You still don't know if it's a happy ending or a sad ending yet. And trust me, it took me two years to decide on that.

It was a long chapter I guess, but I really enjoyed writing this chapter, though at times it was really draining and I even cried while I wrote Ken's death scene.

I got the idea of the black ooze from another episode of Samurai Jack, where Jack is in the grave yard and Aku is fighting him and tries to kill Jack with his own sword.

Yolei's test is all mine, and I'm really proud to say that. I hope you understand the message behind that one.

The spell was also my own creation and it was actually very easy to come up with it, but then again, I am Wiccan and I've never had a problem writing my own spells.

Anyway, until next time…

Nic


	10. Scar tissue

"Two Faces, One Mask"

10. 'Scar tissue'

"The worst is over now 

_And we can breathe again._

_I wanna hold you high – _

_You steal my pain away._

_There's so much left to learn _

_And no one left to fight._

_I wanna hold you high _

_And steal your pain."_

_'Broken' Seether_

Yolei pulled on her white top and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She examined herself and when she was happy with what she saw, she went to her dresser to brush her long lavender locks.

She moved to the bathroom and picked up her lipstick, but as she did so, she knocked Ken's comb to the floor. She bent down to pick it up and suddenly felt herself dissolve into tears.

Now something like this would never have sparked this kind of reaction from Yolei, but because it had being five months that Ken had being in a coma, she was prone to breaking down like this.

The entire apartment reminded her of him and so did University. She could not escape him…it.

The doctors had told her that the longer he was in the coma, the less likely it was that he would wake up. The problem was they could not find anything physically wrong with him. There was no brain damage, his vitals were strong, and other than the fact that he was in a coma, he was perfectly healthy.

She leaned against the cupboard and howled out her sobs, while clutching Ken's comb. She found the same things would run through her head when she got like this.

'I should never have brought him back. He probably doesn't want to wake up. He must hate me. I'm sorry Ken, I didn't know!'

Wormmon had scuttled into the bathroom to see what the noise was and saw Yolei sitting with her back against the cupboard, hugging Ken's comb and now, sobbing quietly.

"Yolei?" he said timidly, "It's okay, Yolei."

He wasn't entirely sure why he was saying this, but he had often heard humans say these words to each other when one of them was crying.

She looked at him with a tear-marked smile and nodded. She stood up, placed his comb down next to her lipstick and splashed water on her face. She patted it dry with her towel and then looked at her reflection.

"I miss him." Wormmon choked suddenly at her feet.

She looked down and saw there were tears in his eyes this time. She bent down, picked him up and walked over to her bed.

"I miss him too Wormmon."

"Do you think he'll ever wake up?"

"God, I hope so."

------

"Yolei!"

The lavender haired young woman turned to see Kari running toward her, an arm full of books.

"Yolei," she panted, "Aren't you coming to Psychology?"

Yolei shook her head. "I thought I would skip it today."

"Again? You've already missed four lectures and my notes aren't as good as yours. You won't pass if you use them."

"I don't care, Kari." She sighed and turned away.

"Ken would care. He wouldn't want you to fail." She said gently.

"We don't know what Ken wants or what he doesn't want, Kari." She snapped.

Kari took a step back, "I'm sorry Yolei…I…"

Yolei took a deep breath, "No, I'm the one who's sorry."

She turned around again, "I was thinking of going to visit him. Mae said she was going to check on him today, try that thing she did when he was in a catatonic state again."

Kari nodded, "Do you think it will work this time. I mean, she tried it once already five months ago."

"I hope it does."

"How are his parents doing?"

Yolei shrugged, "The same as the rest of us, I guess. Hoping, praying….waiting."

Kari stepped forward and hugged Yolei, "Tell him that I hope he wakes up soon and that I miss him, okay?"

Yolei nodded, as Kari pulled away and added, "I'll try to take notes you can use."

Yolei smiled weakly and watched Kari hurry to class.

She turned into the sun and began her walk to the hospital. The air was crisp and clean. There was a slight breeze and the sun made pretty shadows between the gaps of trees. Ken would have smile and suggested sitting under them. Then Davis would have come along and suggested a game of soccer.

She bowed her head at this and then looked up to continue her walk.

On the horizon, she saw Davis and he saw her. An outsider looking at the two of them would have thought they were strangers acknowledging each other's presence. Davis dropped his head as soon as he had made eye contact with her and she had done the same.

Both were ashamed of themselves and slightly angry with the other. They had both argued about Ken's condition, one blaming the other for bringing him back when he didn't want to be brought back and the other arguing that she knew that he did. Both regretted the fight and the words that had being thrown back and forth, but neither wanted to say it first.

Upon reaching the hospital, Yolei saw Mr. and Mrs. Ichijouji in the passage. They had obviously just checked up on Ken and were heading home. They looked at her and wordlessly nodded as a greeting. She echoed them and walked into Ken's room.

Mae was seated next to the bed; Gennai was absent due to the fact that he was helping the Light and Dark Masters fix the Digital world.

"Any change?" Yolei asked.

Mae shook her head. Yolei looked down at her boyfriend, who was lying as if asleep in the white sheets, wires and IVs attached to him. The constant beep from the heart monitor had become a soothing sound for Yolei, for it reminded her that his heart was still beating, that he was still alive. Had there not being that sound, one would think that the young man lying in the bed was dead.

She leaned over him and brushed his hair away from his eyes.

"I'm going to try it now." Mae said suddenly.

"Do you need my help?" Yolei asked quickly.

Mae shook her head, "I think it would be best if I try alone first. I don't know what I'll find and I don't want to scare you."

"What was it like last time you tried?"

Mae looked away and Yolei was sure she saw the Crest Guardian shiver.

"Like it was two years ago. A house with so many rooms, but…there was this…presence that disturbed me. I don't know what it was."

"You don't think it was Ken?" Yolei asked hopefully.

Mae shook her head, "No, it wasn't…"

Yolei nodded and turned toward the door, "I'll wait outside."

Mae nodded her head and placed her hand on Ken's forehead.

In a flash, Mae was inside Ken's mind. The scene was different to how she had seen it before. His mind was like a house, filled with countless rooms but to her left was a passage of complete darkness and to her right was a white scene of blossoms floating to the ground and a young woman in white standing at the end of the corridor.

She walked up the white corridor and saw rows of people sitting on pews with flowers at the ends of them. Petals fell in her long brown wavy hair. Her bare feet felt the soft white carpet beneath her. She was dressed in her emerald medieval Guardian dress. The guests were all dressed in smart outfits. She walked closer and saw Yolei standing at the alter, her bridesmaids next to her.

Mae looked behind her and saw that the dark passage was creeping up on her. Half the pews had being swallowed by the darkness and it suddenly dawned on her. Panic rose up inside of her like bitter bile. She took a deep breath and charged for the darkness. She ran until it swallowed her whole. She could see nothing, but she didn't need to see anything, she just needed to focus and use her sixth sense.

Finally, she stopped and opened her palm so a small ball of blue flame could flicker there and illuminate the dark. At her feet, she saw Ken kneeling, rocking backwards and forwards. His eyes were wide in terror and sweat was running down his temples.

She knelt down next to him and wrapped her arm around him.

"Shh." She cooed and he stopped rocking and fell into her lap. She stroked his head and tried not to cry.

"I'm sorry I couldn't find you before. I had no idea you were still in here." She whispered.

"It wasn't here before." He choked. "Not all of it. Just a little bit and it just got bigger."

"I know Ken. It's…it's the evil that Daemon…I have to get rid of it."

"The evil?"

"The Spore."

There was a cold deafening silence that followed that statement. Then Ken whispered, "But then…I won't…I won't be smart…or…"

"Ken, yes you will be. You are smart and strong and capable of everything you have been doing while the Spore lay dormant. You do not need it."

Ken looked up into her face, "I've seen so much Mae. I have felt what true evil feels like. I have died once. It should end."

"Ken, I won't remove it if you don't want me to, but if I leave it, it will kill you eventually."

"No, I want you to remove it. I want you to get rid of it and make sure no one else is harmed because of it. I want to start living the life I've wished for. I want to start fresh. I know now that the Emperor is not evil, just dark. That he was there to help me, that he was misunderstood, that he is my shadow. I know now that I am who I am, that I am what I am. I know now that there is nothing wrong with getting angry, with getting things wrong, with making mistakes. I know that I love my friends and family and that I know I want to marry Yolei. I know I want to live a full and happy life with her. I know that without everything that has happened to me, I would not be the person I am today…and that would be a shame…because I like the person I have become."

Mae smiled kindly, "You've come a long way Ken. Hold on while I remove it. I'll see you when you wake up."

In another flash, Mae was standing over Ken in the hospital room.

She gently brushed away the hair from his face and then slipped her hand behind his neck. In a few seconds she began to shake and shiver and when she pulled her hand out from under his neck, her hand was in a tight fist.

She stood watching over him for a few minutes, waiting. Finally, he stirred and then blinked his eyes at her.

"Mae." He said groggily.

She smiled at him, relieved.

He glanced down at her fist.

"Did you…is that?"

She nodded.

"What are you going to do with it?"

"Destroy it once I get to the Digital World."

Ken nodded and lapsed into silence. Mae looked away and at the door.

"I'll call Yolei, tell her you're awake."

"Wait."

She paused and turned back to look at him, "Yes?"

"Mae, I died. It was only for a few minutes, but I still died and I don't remember much of what I saw, but I know Osamu was there with me. I think he told me that you…that you love me."

Mae dropped her gaze to the floor.

"It's true isn't it?"

She nodded guiltily.

"He also told me that you were ashamed of it."

"I'm not ashamed. I'm just…confused."

"Me too."

She looked up at him.

"I love you too, Mae. I don't know what that means, but…there's Yolei and Gennai…is it wrong that we feel this way for each other?"

A sudden smile came across Mae's face as she mused, "Love is neither wrong or right. It is love only. I finally understand that now."

Ken frowned at her.

"Ken, what we feel for each other is a bond that no one else understands and could never possibly understand. We're connected. But it's a different kind of love. When I was in your mind, the image you projected of me was that of me as a Guardian, not the girl you first saw when you met me. That tells me that you think of me as your Guardian, not your lover. I realized that I loved you but was not attracted to you the way I am attracted to Gennai. Do you understand?"

Smiling, Ken nodded, but suddenly a look of horror came across his face.

Mae frowned, "What's wrong?"

"Mae, you died! I felt it! What happened?"

"The Light Masters brought me back."

"They what? They couldn't just leave you in peace?"

She smiled grimly, "I chose to come back."

Ken looked down awkwardly, "You came back to save me, didn't you?"

"And I would do it over and over again. It was my decision, please don't feel guilty about it."

She bent over and kissed him on the forehead. "I'll call Yolei."

Ken watched as Mae walked out the room.

Mae turned to Yolei and nodded.

"He's awake?" Yolei said breathlessly.

Mae smiled wordlessly.

Yolei glanced down at Mae's hand in a fist, "What's that?"

"The Dark Spore."

Yolei's eyes widened, "I thought he couldn't live without it."

"As it turns out, I was wrong. He cannot live with it." Mae sighed, "He's waiting for you."

Yolei nodded and entered Ken's room.

He noticed she looked uncomfortable.

"It's okay Yolei." He smiled warmly, "I wanted to come back."

She frowned, "How did you know…?"

"Not really sure, but I know how you feel."

She sat down in the chair next to his bed and they both fell into the horrible silence of wanting to say something, but not knowing how to put it into words.

Finally Yolei took a deep breath and opened her mouth, "I left you Ken." She stated, as if this thought had just struck her, "I left and saying 'I'm sorry' just doesn't feel like enough."

"You came back though. You saved my life."

"Selfishly. I didn't even know if you wanted to be brought back."

He regarded her with an expression she couldn't quite make out. "Yolei, I love you. I don't think I really told you that. You are my world and for a moment I didn't want to live, without you, but knowing that you wanted me back so badly that you risked loosing me forever, told me that you still loved me. That's when I knew that I wanted to live."

"You saw the test the Light Masters gave me?"

He nodded.

"There's so much left for me, for us, I couldn't see it before."

"But you didn't wake up after I brought you back to life." She argued, "I thought that I'd done the wrong thing."

"No, Yolei, never. There's a whole life I want to live with you, no matter what I might have said, or what I might have felt. I am so happy that you saved me, the reason I couldn't wake up was because I was so absorbed in the darkness within myself, I couldn't see the way out. Mae helped me see it; she brought me back to you." He squeezed her hand, "Yolei, if this experience has taught me one thing, it's that life is short and easily wasted on negative thoughts."

"But Ken, I left, remember? Aren't you angry with me?"

"No. I understand how you felt and I can't say that I wouldn't have done the same thing. I love you so much…maybe too much and I know the kind of pain you must have been going through. I know that I would…that I couldn't survive without you. All that matters is that you're here, with me."

"I'll never leave again, Ken, I'm sorry!"

She leaned forward to hug him and as he hugged back, the door opened again and in walked Davis. Upon seeing them, he paused and made to turn back.

"Davis." Ken called and the brunette turned around.

"I'm interrupting." He said and glanced at Yolei.

Ken looked from one to the other and sensed that something was not right between them.

"I'll come back later." He said.

"No." Ken said, almost angrily, "I want you to stay. I need to talk to you."

Yolei looked down at Ken again, "I'll leave you two alone then. I'll be back later."

Ken nodded and let go of her hand. She walked passed Davis without looking at him and closed the door behind her.

Ken looked at Davis, who was looking at the door, "You had a fight." He stated.

Davis turned back to Ken and sighed as he sat down.

"About me." Ken finished.

Davis nodded, "I'll apologize to her."

Ken couldn't help but grin. Davis, admit that he was wrong? This was a first.

Davis looked up at Ken, "You said you wanted to talk to me."

Ken nodded, "When I was in Daemon's lair, he had this set up with monitors and stuff. I don't know how he got hold of it, or even if it was real, but I saw clips of you before we had become friends. You didn't have any flattering things to say about me back then."

Davis opened his mouth and then frowned, "What things did I say?"

"That I was rotten to the core and pure evil."

Davis felt his heart sink, "Ken, I didn't know you and you know me, I say things before I think, I didn't mean any of it. You know that right?"

"I won't say that it didn't hurt hearing those things from you, but it's in the past and it happened a long time ago. Besides, it's not like you were wrong, I was heartless back then."

"So you're not angry with me?"

Ken shook his head, "The funny thing about dying, you sort of get this new perspective of life. I used to dwell on all the negativity in my life, so much so that I missed out on all the positive stuff going on around me. I don't want to be that person anymore."

Davis grinned, "Glad to hear it Ken."

------

Mae wondered through the Digital World, her hand still in a tight fist. She made her way up a large mountain, a grim expression on her face. This mountain however was a lot easier to climb. When she reached the peak, she muttered a phrase in an unrecognizable language and the peak rumbled and broke apart, revealing a fiery volcano.

She held her fist over the burning lava and yelled out, "Evil shall enter and may not leave!"

Then she opened her hand and dropped the Dark Spore into the pit, where it burned into nothing. The volcano began to repair its self and became the mountain it was only moments before.

She made her way back down the mountain, only to be greeted by Gennai. She was about to smile at him but when she got closer she saw he was wearing an expression she couldn't quite read.

"What's wrong?" she asked when she was close enough.

"The Light Masters need to see you. They say it's urgent."

Her stomach sank, "What now?"

"They didn't really say."

Mae nodded, opened her hand and stepped through a portal into the world of the Light Masters.

She walked through the white world until she came to the court of three.

"Gennai said you needed to see me."

They nodded and spoke as one, "We have been thinking, Mae."

"About?"

"You have an affinity with Earth. It is not surprising, considering you spent almost all of your life living there after you were banished. We have decided that once the gates to the Digital World are closed, you shall remain there."

Mae frowned, "But what if the Digital World was in danger again?"

"There are plenty of other Guardians to protect it, not to mention the new Digidestined that would be called forward." After a pause they added, "The Crest of Kindness will never be called again, therefore you will never have another charge to care for."

Mae nodded, "But Gennai…I don't want to be…I love him…"

"Yes. We have spoken with him and he is more than willing to live with you on Earth."

"But…"

"There are plenty of Guardians, Mae." They stressed.

Mae took a deep breath, "I'm not sure I want to live forever on Earth, though."

"We said nothing about living forever, just for the rest of your life."

Mae narrowed her eyes at them, "What are you saying?"

"You will be stripped of your powers and therefore will live out a mortal life, the same is for Gennai."

Mae looked down, a tiny smile on her lips. "Thank you."

"It is our pleasure. You have gone beyond the duty of a Crest Guardian and we are very grateful."

She looked up suddenly, "Could I ask one thing though?"

"Anything."

"Could you change my appearance?"

"How so?"

"My hair…" Mae hesitated but then pushed on, "I want it long, red and straight, instead of it the wavy brown I have now. Like the Sorceress's hair."

"Any particular reason for this Mae?"

She nodded, "I've seen the change in Ken. He's completely accepted the darker side of himself. I want to do the same. I feel that if I have a constant reminder of the Sorceress, it will make me a better person."

They nodded, "Anything else?"

"Yes. A tattoo of the Crest of Kindness on my wrist."

"Very well."

------

Ken looked in the mirror and straightened his black bow tie. He took a deep breath and smoothed out his tuxedo. His stomach was doing a strange thing and he wasn't sure if he was going to throw up or laugh his heart out.

Davis put a hand on his shoulder, his typical Davis smile firmly in place.

"Relax dude."

Ken gave a breathless laugh, "I don't know why I'm so nervous."

Davis shrugged, "You want everything to be perfect that's why."

At that moment, TK entered the room and Ken turned sharply to him.

"Is she here yet?"

TK shook his head, "Gennai said she had one thing to take care of in the Digital World."

Ken nodded, "And Yolei?"

"Just got off the phone with Kari. She said they are just about to leave her house and they'll be here soon."

Ken nodded again and sat down.

------

Mae stood on a cliff edge, the wind tugging at her long red hair, her Lilac silk dress billowed behind her. Her emerald eyes scanned the horizon and sea of tress below her. She would miss the Digital World dearly but her real home was the Real World. After the wedding she and Gennai would be living there permanently, but this time Mae decided on staying in Japan in order to be close to Ken and the rest of the Digidestined.

"You're going to be late."

She turned to face Osamu.

"I was just about to leave, but I was waiting for you."

Osamu nodded.

She moved forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm going to miss you so much Osamu. Thank you for all your help and especially for giving me the strength to finish my test."

"You're welcome."

She pulled away and looked into his eyes, "I'll take good care of him, Osamu. I promise."

"I have no doubt that you will. Tell him, good luck and that I love him."

She nodded, "I will."

She turned to the TV port and gave one last look back, "Good bye, Osamu."

In a flash she was gone from the Digital World forever and Osamu smiled as he faded to nothing. Like her, he was going home too.

------

The pews were filled with guest, family and friends. White roses and Babies Breath were in bouquets at the end of them filling the air with their sweet sent. Blossoms scattered the white carpet. The digimon were walking up it, throwing petals in the air.

Like Mae, Kari, Mimi and Sora were dressed in Lilac silk dresses, waiting at the alter. Opposite them were Davis, TK, Cody and Gennai. Ken was waiting anxiously at the alter with the Priest.

Suddenly the music changed to the wedding march and Ken turned to see his bride. Yolei was glowing with an angelic light and her white silk gown made her look like a princess from a fairy tale. When she saw Ken, her face broke into the most beautiful smile he had ever seen and he knew his life was just beginning.

------

(AN)

Oh my word, I think I'm going to be sick. This ending is so sickly sweet. It took me two years to finish this story and this is how I ended it? Ah well, some of my stories need a happy ending, considering the fact that a couple of them are going to have tragic endings.

Jeez, I can't believe it's finally finished. Only took me two years. Originally I killed Ken in the first draft, but for some reason, I couldn't leave him dead.

I re-wrote this chapter at the very last minute because after reading it so many times I just hated it. The very beginning and the very end are the same, but the middle is slightly different. I originally had Ken and Mae have a conversation about Mae becoming mortal and the hair and tattoo, but I couldn't find a good place to put it in to the new version of this chapter. So I'll say it here. They had the whole talk before the wedding, a couple of weeks after Ken got out of hospital. Mae felt that she had finally accepted her dark side, thanks to Ken's inspiration and bravery. I know the hair wouldn't really be significant to anyone else, but for a Wicca (or witch) hair was a symbol of power. That's why most witches have long hair. Mae basically is a witch and I felt that if she used the memory of the Sorceress in a positive way that would be a good source of her inner strength. That tattoo of the Crest of Kindness was just something I felt would be special for her, as a reminder of her life.

I also wanted to write in the fact that Ken still lectures at the University but it didn't really fit anywhere either, so I just left it for you guys to assume.

I was so very tempted to leave something dark at the end, but I decided against it because this time around, Ken gets a happy ending. He's been through a lot with these story arcs that I've written and this one is now all tied up neatly in a bow. It's finished and leaves me to complete my other stories.

Now for some news which I posted on my Live Journal a little while ago. I am retiring. Not now, but hopefully at the end of this year. I am taking a three-year BA course in creative writing and will be taking ten subjects this year. That means I'll have little time for my Fanfictions but mostly I want to concentrate on my original works, which I want to sell some day. The works I have in the mix at the moment are, "Gone", "Cruel Kindness", "Sins of the Father" (which is finished, I just have to edit and proofread it), and "Cruel Angel's Thesis" (cross over fic with Akino Ame's story, "With Broken Wings" and my story, "Doppelgangland"). I will not be starting any other stories from now on. I was originally going to write a DNAngel fic, but I've decided to shelf it. Maybe one day I'll come back to it, but I doubt it.

Anyway, until next time…blessed be!


End file.
